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The Qur'an

Translation by Prof Thomas Irving (USA)

1. The Opening

THIS INITIAL or prefatory chapter is made up of seven verses from the period
which the Prophet passed in Mecca. It was revealed after TheMan
Wearing a Cloak 74 and before The Flame I I I. The chapter has
classical expression, and is "simple in wording but full of meaning," which
eventually works into our consciousness as we repeat it daily.

This is the customary invocation used in Islamic ceremonies of all kinds, and
it forms a true prayer, occupying somewhat the same place in Islam as the Lord's
prayer does with Christians. The chapter is often said to contain the "essence'
of the Quran, and in 15:vI it is called the "Seven Oft Repeated Verses."

This chapter should be read attentively since many Islamlic terms are
introduced here and are repeated daily by every Muslim. It also bears witness to
God's presence everywhere.

In the name of God, the Mercygiving, the Merciful!

PART ONE

* Praise be to God, * Lord of the Universe,* the Mercygiving, the
Merciful!* Ruler on the Day for Repayment!** You do we worship and You
do we call on for help.* Guide us along the Straight Road,* the road of
those whom You have favored,with whom You are not angry,nor who are
lost!

2. The Cow

THIS CHAPTER of 286 verses is arranged in forty sections. It, as well as
Chapter 3 and Chapters 29-32 inclusive, begin with the mystic initials A.L.M. It
dates from the first year after the Hijra or Transfer from Mecca to
Madina, or around the year 623 A.D. It was revealed before Chapter 8 Booty,
except for verse 281 (XXXVII) which was revealed at Mina, a suburb just east
of Mecca, during the Farewell Pilgrimage shortly before the Prophet passed away.
The title is taken from the Cow, or the Golden Calf, the story of which appears
in section VIIIbelow, and which Moses wanted the Children of Israel to
sacrifice to God Alone.

Because the chapter is quite long, it continues through two and a half of the
thirty Parts into which the Quran is traditionally divided, and comprises more
than one-tenth of the whole text of the holy Book. The chapter mostly concerns
legislation promulgated during the Madinese period. begins with the majestic
invocation to the Book which announces the first section, and then proceeds to
describe disbelievers and those arrogant persons who take it upon themselves to
dictate to others concerning religion. There is a parable on "The Gnat" in
section III,and we proceed the story of Adam's creation in IV.

Prayer is discussed in V , and we are told in vi that intercession is
acceptable because God's face is to be found everywhere. The Direction Prayer,
or our qibla, is dealt with in XVII-XVIII, and prayer itself once more in
XXXI. Section XIX instructs us that we should simply strive to meet God Alone.
Abraham is introduced to us at Mecca (XV) while his signs appEAR in XXXV.

Fasting, the month of Ramaddan and God's care are other the discussed here
(XXIII). Food is mentioned in XXI; virtue and retaliation in xxii; the
Pilgrimage appears in XXV. Charity is prescribed in XXXV-XXXVI and we are told
to favor the genteel poor who do not go around begging in public. Death and
wills are treated in XXII; waste and bribery in XXIII. There is legislation
against liquor and gambling in XXV, the loan business XXXVIII, while the matter
of debts and loans is handled in XXXIX. Then follow such matters as orphans, the
sin of associating others with our worship of God Alone, menstruation (XXVIII),
marriage, oaths, divorce nursing mothers and widows (XXX).

In Part III of the Quran, towards the end of this chapter, we offered the
great vision of God's Seat or Throne, which embraces Heaven and Earth, and are
admonished to observe tolerance (XXXIV). The chapter ends with a statement of
the Islamic creed, given as this is generally recited by Muslims (XL).

Inthe name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

Invocation to the Book

The Heedful Or Pious

(I)* A.L.M.

*This is the Book which contains no doubt; it means guidance for those who do
their duty

* who believe in the Unseen, keep up prayer, and spend something from
whatever We have provided them with;

* who believe in what has been sent down to you as well as what was sent down
before you,

While they are convinced about the Hereafter; ** such people on to guidance
from their Lord; those will be successful.

* It is all the same whether you warn those who disbelieve or do not warn
them; they still will not believe: * God has sealed off their hearts and their
hearts and their hearing, while over their sight there hangs a covering; they
will have severe torment.

Disbelievers (Arrogation Explained)

(II) * Some people say: "We believe in God and the Last Day," while they are
not believers. * They would like to deceive God and those who believe, while
they merely outwit themselves and do not even notice it! ** Their hearts contain
malice so God has increased their [share of] malice. They will have painful
torment because they have been lying.

* Whenever someone tells them: "Don't act so depraved on earth," they say:
"We are only improving matters!" * They are indeed mischief makers, but they are
not aware of it. * When someone tells them: "Believe just as other people
believe," they say: "Are we to believe just as simpletons believe?" Surely they
are the fools even though they do not realize it!

* Whenever they meet those who believe, they say: "We believe;' while once
they go off alone with their ringleaders, they say: "We are with you; we were
only joking!" ** God will joke with them and let them go on acting arrogantly in
their blind fashion! Those are the ones who have purchased error at the price of
guidance, while their bargain does n them nor have they been guided.

The Arrogant

* They may be compared to someone who kindles a fire,and once it
lights up whatever lies around him, God takes away their light and leaves them
in darkness. They do not see: * deaf, dumb and blind will never respond!

* Or to a raincloud from the sky containing darkness, Thunder and lightning;
they stick their fingersin their ears to ward off death of the
thunderclaps, for God will soon be rounding up disbelievers ** Lightning almost
snatches their sight away: each time it lights things up for them, they walk
along in it, while when darkness settles down on them, they stand stockstill. If
God wanted, He would take away their hearing and eyesight; God is capable of
everything!

(III) * Mankind, worship your Lord Who created you as well as those before
you, so that you may do your duty! * [He is] the One Who has made the earth a
carpet for you and had the sky built above you, and sent water to pour down from
the sky and brought forth fruit by means of it as sustenance for you. Do not set
up rivals for God while you know [better].

* If you (all) are in any doubt about what We have sent down to Our servant,
then bring a chapter like it and call in your witnesses besides God if
you are so truthful. * If you do not-and you will never do so-then heed the Fire
which has been prepared for disbelievers whose fuel is mankind and stones! **
Proclaim to those who believe and perform honorable deeds that they will have
gardens through which rivers flow. Each time they are provided with fruits from
it for their sustenance, they will say: "This is what we were provided with
before!" They will be given similar things and have clean-living spouses there.
They will live in it for ever!

Parables (The Gnat)

* God does not hesitate to compare things to a mosquito nor to anything
bigger than it. Those who believe realize that it is the Truth from their Lord,
while those who disbelieve say: "What does God want in such a comparison?" He
lets so many go astray through it, and guides many by means of it. Yet only
immoral persons are led astray by it! * Those who break God's covenant after
they have pledged to keep it, and sever whatever God has ordered to be joined,
and act depraved on earth, will be the losers. * How can you disbelieve in God
when you once were dead and He furnished you with life? Soon He will let you die
once more, then bring you back to life again; then unto Him will you return! *
He is the One Who has created everything that is on earth for you; then He
soared up to Heaven and perfected it as seven heavens. He is Aware of
everything!

The Story of Adam

(IV)** So when your Lord told the angels: "I am placing an overlord on
earth", they said: "Will You place someone there who will corrupt it and shed
blood, while we hymn Your praise and sanctify You?" He said: "I know something
you do not know."

* He taught Adam all the names of everything; then presented them to the
angels, and said: "Tell me the names of these if you are so truthful." * They
said: "Glory be to You; we have no knowledge except whatever You have taught us.
You are the Aware, the Wise!" * He said: "Adam, tell them their names."

Once he had told them their names, He said: "Did I not tell you that I know
the Unseen in Heaven and Earth? I know whatever you disclose and whatever you
have been hiding."

* So We told the angels: "Bow down on your knees before Adam." They [all]
knelt down except for Diabolis. He refused and acted proudly, and became a
disbeliever.

** We said: 'Adam, settle down in the Garden, both you and your wife, and eat
freely from it anywhere either of you may wish. Yet do not approach this tree
lest you become wrongdoers."

* Satan made them stumble over it and had them both expelled from where they
had been [living]. We said: "Clear out! Some of you will [become] enemies of
others. You will have a resting place on earth a enjoyment for a while."

* Adam received words [of inspiration] from his Lord and he turned towards
Him. He is the Relenting, the Merciful!

* We said: 'Clear out from it together! If you should be hand guidance from
Me, then anyone who follows My guidance will have fear nor will they be
saddened; * while those who disbelieve and reject Our signs will become inmates
of the Fire; they shall remain in it!

(V)** Children of Israel, remember My favor which I have shown you, and
fulfill My agreement! I shall fulfill your covenant. I am the One you should
revere! * Believe in what I have sent down to confirm what you already have, and
do not be the first to disbelieve in it. Do not sell My signs for paltry price.
I am the One you should heed! * Do not cloak Truth with falsehood nor hide the
Truth while you realize it.

Prayer

* Keep up prayer, pay the welfare tax, and worship along with those who bow
their heads. * Are you ordering people to be virtuous while forgetting it
yourselves, even as you recite the Book? Will you not use you reason?

** Seek help through patience and prayer, since it is exacting except for the
submissive * who assume they will meet their Lord, and that they will return to
Him.

Intercession is not Accepted

(VI) * Children of Israel, remember My favor which I have bestowed on you. I
have preferred you over [the rest of] the Universe! * Heed a day when no soul
will compensate for any other soul in any way. Intercession will not be accepted
from him, nor will any alternative be taken for it. They will not be supported.
* When We rescued you from Pharaoh's household, they had been subjecting you to
the worst torment, slaying your sons and sparing your women. That meant such
awful testing by your Lord! * * So We divided the sea for you and saved you,
while We drowned Pharaoh's household as you were looking on. * When We appointed
forty nights for Moses, you took the Calf after he [had left], and you
became wrongdoers. * Then later on We still overlooked this for you, so that you
might act grateful * when We gave Moses the Book and the Standard so that you
might be guided. * When Moses told his folk: "My people, you have wronged
yourselves in accepting the Calf, so turn towards your Maker in
repentance and kill your own [guilty] selves; that will be better for you with
your Maker. He will (then) relent towards you, since He is the Relenting, the
Merciful."

** So you said: "Moses, we will never believe in you until we see God
openly," the Thunderbolt caught you while you were (all) looking on. * Then We
raised you up after you had died so that you might act grateful; * We spread the
clouds out to shade you, and sent down manna and quail for you: 'Eat some of the
good things which We have provided you with!" They did not harm Us, but it was
themselves whom they harmed.

* So We said: "Enter this town and eat wherever you may wish in it at your
leisure. Enter the gate [walking] on your knees and say: 'Relieve us!" We will
forgive you your mistakes and give even more to those who kindly. * Yet those
who do wrong altered the Statement to something than what had been told them, so
We sent a blight down from Heaven on those who did wrong since they had acted so
immorally.

(VII) ** Thus Moses looked for something for his people to drink, and said:
"Strike the rock with your staff!'; so twelve springs gushed forth fro it. Each
group of people knew its drinking spot: "Eat and drink from Go provisions, and
do not cause any havoc on earth, as if you were mischief-makers."

* When you said: "Moses, we'll never stand one [kind of] food! Appeal to your
Lord to produce whatever the earth will grow for us, such as vegetables and
cucumbers, and its garlic, lentils and onions;" He said: "Do you want to
exchange something commonplace for something that better?" Settle in some city
to get what you have asked for!' Humiliation and poverty beat them down and they
incurred anger from God. That was because they had disbelieved in God's signs
and killed the prophets without having any right to. That happened because they
disobeyed and had act so defiant.

(VIII) * Those who believe and those who are Jews, Christians and Sabeans,
[in fact] anyone who believes in God and the Last Day, and actshonorably will receive their earnings from their Lord: no fear will lie
upon them nor need they feel saddened. * Thus we have made an agreement with you
and raised the Mountain over you: "Hold firmly to what We have brought you and
remember what it contains, so that you may do your duty;" * while later on you
turned away, and if God's bounty and His mercy had not [rested] upon you, you
would have turned out to be losers! ** Yet you knew which of you had been
defiant on the Sabbath, so We told them: "Become apes, rejected!" * We set them
up as an illustration of what had come before them and what would come after
them, and as a lesson for the heedful.

The Cow

* When Moses told his folk: "God commands you to sacrifice a cow,"
they said: "Do you take us for a laughingstock?" He said: "I seek refuge with
God lest I become so ignorant!" * They said: "Appeal to your Lord for us, to
explain to us what she is."

He said: "He says she is neither a worn-out cow, nor a heifer, but of
an age in between. Do as you are ordered!" * They said: "Appeal to your Lord for
us, to explain to us what color she is." He said: "He says that she is a bright
yellow cow. Her color gladdens those who look at her." ** They said:
"Appeal to your Lord for us, to explain to us what she is like. Cows seem all
alike to us and we should be guided properly, if God so wishes." * He said: "He
says that she is a cow which has not yet been broken in to plow the earth
nor to irrigate any crops; she is sound and has no blemish on her." They said:
"Now you are telling the Truth!", and they slaughtered her though they almost
had not done so.

(IX) *When You killed a soul and quarreled over it, God was bound to
bring forth whatever you had hidden. * We said: "Strike him with some part of
it." Thus God revives the dead and shows you His signs so you ma use your
reason. * Even after that your hearts were hardened and became stony, and even
harder yet, for there are some stones which rivers gush out of and there are
others which water comes forth from when they split open and there are still
others which collapse out of awe for God. God is no oblivious of what you are
doing!

Making a Living from Misinterpreting the Quran

** Are you so keen for them to believe for your own sake while group of them
have already heard God's word? Then they tamper with it once they have studied
it, and they realize it. * Whenever they meet with those who believe, they say:
"We believe!", while when some of them go off privately with one another, they
say: "Will you report something to the which God has disclosed to you, so they
may dispute with you about it in the presence of your Lord? Don't you use your
reason?" * Do they not realize that God knows anything they hide and anything
they display?* Some of them are illiterate and do not know the Book except to
say "Amen" [to it]. They are merely guessing. * It will be too bad for those who
write the Book down in their own hand[writing], then say: "This is from God!",
so they may sell it for a paltry price. It will be too bad for them because of
what their hands have written. Too bad for whatever the earn! ** They say: "The
Fire will only touch us for several days."

SAY: "Have you taken it on oath from God? God never breaks Hi word. Or are
you saying something about God which you really do no know?" * Rather anyone who
commits evil will find his mistake will he him in; those will become inmates of
the Fire; they will remain in it for ever. * Those who believe and perform
honorable deeds will be inhabit ants of the Garden; they will live in it for
ever.

The Children of Israel

(X)* Thus We made an agreement with the Children of Israel: "You shall serve
God Alone, and treat your parents kindly, and [also] near relatives orphans and
the needy, and say kind things to [other] people, and keep up prayer and pay the
welfare tax"; then you turned away and except for few of you, you avoided doing
anything. * So We made an agreement with you: "You must not shed your own blood,
nor drive one another out of your homes;" then you ratified this and were
witnesses [for it]. ** Then there you go killing one another and driving a group
of you from their homes, backing one another up against them out of sin and
enmity. If the are brought to you as prisoners, you ransom them, while it has
been forbidden for you even to expel them!

Do you believe in part of the Book and disbelieve in another part of it? What
reward has anyone of you who does so, except disgrace during worldly life, while
on Resurrection Day they will be driven off to the harshest torment? God does
not overlook anything you do! * Those are the ones who purchase worldly life
instead of the Hereafter; punishment will not be lightened for them nor will the
be supported.

(XI) * We gave Moses the Book and followed him up with messengers later on.
We gave Jesus the son of Mary evidence and assisted him with the Holy Spirit.
Yet every time some messenger comes to you with what you yourselves do not
fancy, why do you act so overbearing? One group you have rejected while another
group you would [like to] kill.

Disbelief

* They said: "Our hearts are covered over." Rather God has cursed them
because of their disbelief; little do they believe. * Whenever a Book has come
to them from God to confirm what they already have-whereas previously they had
been seeking victory over those who disbelieve-so whenever something they can
recognize is brought to them, they disbelieve go in it. God's curse lies on
disbelievers! ** How wretchedly have they sold their own souls by disbelieving
in what God has sent down to them, begrudging that God should send down some of
His bounty on any of His servants He may wish. They have brought an exchange of
anger for anger on themselves; disbelievers will have shameful torment. *
Whenever someone tells them: "Believe in what God has sent down;" they say: "We
believe [only] in what has been sent down to us," while they disbelieve
in what has come after that, even though it is the Truth confirming what they
already have.

SAY: "Why did you kill God's prophets previously if you were believers?

* Moses came to you with evidence; then later on you adopted the Calf and
became wrongdoers." * When We made an agreement with you and raised the Mountain
up over you [as a symbol]: "Take whatever We have brought you seriously, and
listen;" they said: "We listen and [yet] we disobey!" They sucked the [spirit of
the] Calf into their hearts because of their disbelief. SAY: "How wretchedly
your faith commands you, if you ever have been believers!"

* SAY: "If a home in the Hereafter with God is exclusively yours instead of
[other] people's, then long for death if you are so truthful!" ** They will
never long for it because of what their hands have already prepared. God is
Aware of wrongdoers! * You will find them the people most eager to live, even
compared with those who associate [others with God]. Each one of them would like
to live on for a thousand years! Yet it would never save anyone from torment,
even should he live that long. God is Observant of whatever they do.

(XII)* SAY: 'Who is Gabriel's enemy? He has brought it down for your heart
with God's permission, to confirm what came before it and as guidance and good
news for believers. * Who is an enemy of God and His angels and His messengers,
as well as of Gabriel and Michael? * Anyhow, God is an enemy of disbelievers! *
We have sent you down clear signs; only immoral people disbelieve in them. ***
Each time they swear an oath, does a group of them shrug it off? Rather most of
them do not even believe.

* Whenever a messenger from God has come to them to confirm what they already
had, a group of those who were given the Book have tossed God's book behind
their backs as if they did not know [any better].

Learning Things Wrong

*They followed whatever the devils recited concerning Solomon's control.
Solomon did not disbelieve but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic and
what was sent down to Harutand Marut, two angels at Babylon. Neither of
these would teach anyone unless they [first]said: "We are only a
temptation, so do not disbelieve!" They learned from them both what will
separate a man from his wife. Yet they do not harm anyone through it except with
God's permission. They learn what will harm them and does not benefit them. They
know that anyone who deals in it will have no share in the Hereafter; how
wretched is what they have sold themselves for, if they only knew! * If they had
only believed and done their duty, a recompense from God would have been better,
if they had realized it!

(XIII)* You who believe, do not say: "Herd us,"; and say [instead]: "Watch
over us,"

and [then] "Listen!" Disbelievers will have painful torment ** Neither those
People of the Book who disbelieve, nor associators [of others with God] would
like any good from your Lord to be sent down t you. God will single out anyone
He wishes for His mercy; God possesses splendid bounty. * We do not cancel any
verse nor let it be forgotten instead We bring something better than it or else
something similar. Do you not know that God is Capable of everything? * Do you
not know that God [Alone] holds control over Heaven and Earth. You have no
patron nor any supporter besides God. * Or do you (all) want to question you
Messenger just as Moses was questioned previously? Anyone who exchanges faith
for disbelief has strayed right down the line!

* Many People of the Book would like to turn you back into disbelievers
following your [profession of] faith, out of envy for themselves, even though
the Truth has been explained to them. Pardon [them] and disregard it till God
brings His command; God is Capable of everything

Jews and Christians

** Keep up prayer and pay the welfare tax; you will find any good you have
sent on ahead for your own souls' sake is already [stored up] with God. God is
Observant of whatever you do. * They say: "No one will enter the Garden unless
he is a Jew or a Christian. Those individuals are merely saying "Amen" [to their
leaders]. Say: "Bring on your proof if you are so truthful," * Rather anyone who
commits his person peacefully to God and is acting kindly will receive his
earnings from his Lord. No fear shall come upon them nor will they be saddened.

(XIV)* Jews say: Christians have no point to make;" while Christians say:
"The Jews have no point to make." Yet they (all) quote from the [same] Book.
Likewise those who do know anything make a statement similar to theirs. God will
judge between them on Resurrection Day concerning how they have been differing.

* Who is more in the wrong than someone who prevents God's name from being
mentioned in His places of worship and attempts to ruin them? Such persons
should not even enter them except in fear; they will suffer disgrace in this
world as well as serious torment in the Hereafter.

God's Face

** The East and West are God's: wherever you may turn, there will be
God's countenance, for God is Boundless, Aware!

* They say: 'God has adopted a son!" Glory be to Him! Rather owns whatever is
in Heaven and Earth. All things are devoted Him. * Devisor of Heaven and Earth,
whenever He decrees so affair, He merely tells it: "Be!" and it is.

* Those who do not know (anything) say: "If God would only speak to or a sign
were brought us!" Likewise those before them said the same they are saying;
their hearts are all alike. We have explained signs for folk who are certain. *
We have sent you with the Truth as a herald and warner: you will not be
questioned about the inmates of Hades.

** Neither the Jews nor the Christians will ever be satisfied with you until
you follow their sect. SAY:

"God's guidance means [real] guidance!"

If you followed their whims after the knowledge which has come to you would
not have any patron nor supporter against God. * Those whom We have brought the
Book, recite it in the way it should be recited such men believe in it. Those
who disbelieve in it will be the losers.

(XV)* 0 Children of Israel, remember My favor which I bestowed on and how I
preferred you over [everyone in] the Universe. * Heed a day when no soul will
make amends in any way for any other soul and adjustment will be accepted from
it nor an intercession benefit it. They will not be supported.

Abraham at Mecca

* When his Lord tested Abraham by means of [certain] words, and he
fulfilled them, He said: "I am going to make you into a leader for
mankind." He said: "What about my offspring?"; He said: "My pledge not apply to
evildoers."

** Thus We set up the House as a resort for mankind and a sanctuary and
[said]: 'Adopt Abraham's station as a place for prayer." We entrusted Abraham
and Ishmael with cleaning out My house for those who around it and are secluded
[praying] there, and who bow down on their knees in worship.

* So Abraham said: 'My Lord, make this countryside safe and provide any of
its people who believe in God and the Last Day with fruit from He said: "Even
anyone who disbelieves, I'll let enjoy things for a while then drive him along
towards the torment of Fire. How awful is goal!"

* Thus Abraham along with Ishmael laid the foundations for the House: "Our
Lord, accept this from us! Indeed You are the Alert, the Aware! * Our Lord,
leave us peacefully committed to You, and make our offspring into a nation which
is at peace with you. Show us our ceremonies and turn towards us. You are so
Relenting, the Merciful! * Our Lord, send a messenger in among them from among
themselves who will recite Your verses to them and teach them the Book and wisdom! He will purify them, for You are the
Powerful, the Wise!"

(XVI)** Who would shrink from [joining] Abraham's sect except someone who
fools himself? We selected him during worldly life, while in the Hereafter he
will be among the honorable ones. * So when his Lord told him: "Commit yourself
to [live in] peace"; he said: "I have already committed myself peacefully to the
Lord of the Universe!"

* Abraham commissioned his sons with it [as a legacy], and [so did] Jacob:
"My sons, God has selected your religion for you. Do not die unless you are
Muslims." * Or were you present as death appeared for Jacob, when he said to his
sons: "What will you serve after I am gone?" They said: 'We shall worship your
God and the God of your forefathers Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac: God Alone! We
are committed peacefully to Him."

Collective Responsibility

* That is a nation which has already passed away: there awaits it whatever it
has earned, while you will have what you have earned. You will not be questioned
about what they have been doing.

** They say: "Become Jews or Christians; you will [then] be guided." SAY:
"Rather Abraham's sect, [for he was] a seeker [after Truth]; he was no
associator [of others with God Alone]." * SAY: "We believe in God and what has
been sent down to us, and what was sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob
and their descendants, and what was given Moses and Jesus, and what was given
the [other] prophets by their Lord. We do not discriminate against any one of
them and are committed [to live] in peace to Him."

* If they believe the same as you believe, then they are guided, while if
they turn elsewhere, they will only fall into dissension. God will suffice for
you [in dealing with] them: He is the Alert, Aware. * [Such is] God's design!
Who is better than God for a design? We are serving Him. * SAY: "Do you argue
with us about God while He is our Lord and your Lord as well? We have our
actions while you have your actions, and we are loyal to Him. ** Or do you say
that Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants were Jews or
Christians?" SAY: "Are you more knowledgeable than God? Who is more unjust than
someone who hides some evidence from God which he holds? God is not heedless of
what you are doing. * That is a nation which has already passed away. There
awaits it whatever it has earned, while you will have what you have earned. You
will not be questioned about what they are doing.

PART TWO

The Direction of Prayer

(XVII)*Some foolish folk will say: "Whatever turned them away from
the Direction [of Prayer] toward which they used to face?" SAY: "God holds the
East and West; He guides whomever He wishes towards a Straight Road." * Thus
We have set you up as a moderate nation so you may act as witnesses for mankind,
even as the Messenger is a witness for you. We have only set up the Direction
towards which you used to face so We might know the one who is following the
Messenger from someone who turns on his heels. It is such a serious matter
except for those whom God has guided! God will never let your faith be
forfeited; God is Gentle, Merciful with mankind.

* We see you shifting your face all over the sky, so We shall appoint a
Direction for you which you will feel satisfied with; so turn your face towards
the Hallowed Mosque. Wherever you (all) may be, turn your faces towards it!

Those who were given the Book know that it brings the Truth from their Lord;
while God is not unaware of what they do. ** Even though you brought every sign
for those who were given the Book they still would not follow your Direction.
You are not following their direction, nor will any of them follow one another's
direction. If you were to follow their whims once knowledge has come to you, you
would then be an evildoer. * Those to whom We have given the Book recognize it
just as they recognize their own children. Nevertheless a group of them hide the
Truth even though they know it. * Truth comes from your Lord, so do not be a
doubter!

The Direction of Prayer (cont'd)

(XVIII) * Everyone has some course he steers by, so compete in [doing]
good deeds. Wherever you may be, God will bring you all together; God is Capable
of everything. * No matter where you may set out from, turn your face towards
the Hallowed Mosque. It means the Truth from your Lord; nor will God overlook
whatever you are doing. ** No matter where you set out from, turn your face
towards the Hallowed Mosque; wherever you may be, turn your faces towards it, so
that people will not have any argument against you, except for those among them
who do wrong. Do not dread them but dread Me, so I may complete My favor towards
you and so that you may be guided; * just as We have sent a messenger to you
from among yourselves to recite My signs to you, and to cleanse you and teach
you the Book and wisdom, and to teach you what you did not know. * Remember Me;
I shall remember you. Thank Me, and do not act ungrateful with Me!

Striving for God

(XIX) You who believe, seek help through patience and prayer; God stands
alongside the patient!

* Do not say: "They are dead!" about anyone who is killed for God's
sake. Rather they are living, even though you do not notice it.

** We shall test you with a bit of fear and hunger, plus a shortage of wealth
and souls and produce. Announce such to patient people * who say, whenever some
misfortune strikes them: "We belong to God, and are returning to Him!"

* Such will have their prayers [accepted] by their Lord,

and [granted] mercy. Those have consented to be guided!

*Safa and Marwa are some of God's waymarks. Anyone who goes on Pilgrimage
to the House or visits [it] will not be blamed if he runs along between them.
With anyone who volunteers some good, God is Appreciative, Aware. * God curses
those who hide whatever We send down explanations and guidance, once We have
explained it to mankind in the Book, and cursers will curse them, ** except
for those who repent, reform and explain; those I accept repentance from, for
I am the Receiver Repentance, the Merciful!

* Those who disbelieve and die while they are disbelievers will have God's
curse upon them, as well as the angels' and all mankind's * to live for ever.
Torment will not be lightened for them will they be allowed to wait.

* Your God is God Alone there is no deity except Him, the
Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(XX)* In the creation of Heaven and Earth, the alternation between night and
day, the ships which plow the sea with something to benefit mankind and any
water God sends down from the sky with which to revive the following its death,
and to scatter every kind of animal throughout it, and directing the winds and
clouds which are driven along between the sky and earth, are (all) signs for
folk who use their reason. ** Yet there are some people who adopt rivals instead
of God, whom they love just as they should love God. Those who believe are
firmer in their love of God; if only those who commit evil might see, when they
face torment, how strength is wholly God's, and God is Severe with torment. *
When those who been following them free themselves from those they have been
following and they see the torment, their bonds will be cut off from them!
*Those they have been following will say: 'If we only had another chance, then
we would free ourselves from them just as they have freed themselves from us!'
Thus God will show them their actions as regrets on their part. They will never
leave the Fire!

(XXI)* Mankind, eat anything lawful, wholesome that exists on earth do not
follow in Satan's footsteps; he is an open enemy of yours.* He merely orders you
to commit evil and shocking deeds, and to say what you do not know about God. **
Whenever someone tells them: "Follow what God has sent down;" they say: "Rather
we will follow what we discovered our forefathers were doing," even though their
forefathers did not use reason in any way nor were they guided. * Those who
disbelieve may be comparedto those who bleat away at something that only
listens to calls and cries: deaf, dumb and blind, they do not use their reason.
* You who believe, eat any wholesome things We have provided you with and thank
God if it is He whom you worship.

Food

* He has only forbidden you what has died by itself, blood and pork, and
anything that has been consecrated to something besides God. Yet anyone who may
be forced to do so, without craving or going too far, will have no offence held
against him; for God is Forgiving, Merciful.

* Those who hide what God has sent down in the Book and (then) barter it off
for a paltry price only suck fire into their bellies. God will not speak to them
on Resurrection Day nor will He purify them; they will have painful torment! **
Those are the ones who have purchased error instead of guidance, and torment
instead of forgiveness. Why do they insist on facing the Fire? * That is because
God has sent the Book down with the Truth, while those who disagree about the
Book go much too far in dissension.

Virtue

(XXII)* Virtue does not mean for you to turn your faces towards the
East and West, but virtue means one should believe in God [Alone], the Last Day,
angels, the Book and prophets; and no matter how he loves it, to give his wealth
away to near relatives, orphans, the needy, the wayfarer and beggars, and
towards freeing captives; and to keep up prayer and pay the welfare tax; and
those who keep their word whenever they promise anything; and are patient under
suffering and hardship and in time of violence. Those are the ones who act loyal
and they perform their duty.

Retaliation

* You who believe, compensation for the murder (ed victim) has been
prescribed for you: the freeman for the free, the slave for the slave, and
female for the female. Anyone who is pardoned in any way for it by his brother
should follow this up appropriately, and handsomely make amends with him; that
means a lightening as well as mercy from your Lord. Anyone who exceeds the limit
after that shall have painful torment. * You will find [security for] life in
[such] compensation, 0 prudent persons, that you may do your duty!

Death and Wills

** It has been prescribed for you that whenever death faces one of you, he
should draw up a will in a proper manner for both his parents and near relatives
if he leaves any property behind, as a duty for the heedful. * Anyone who alters
it once he has heard it [read] will have his sin fall upon only such as those
who alter it; God is Alert, Aware. * However there is no sin to be charged
anyone who fears some alteration or any sin on the part of an executor, and so
patches things up among them. God is Forgiving, Merciful.

Fasting

(XXIII)* You who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you just as it was
prescribed for those before you, so that you may do your duty, * on days which
have been planned ahead. Any of you who is ill or on a journey [should choose] a
number of other days. For those who can [scarcely] afford it, making up for it
means feeding a poor man. It is even better for anyone who can volunteer some
wealth; although it is better yet for you to fast, if you only knew.

The Month of Ramadan

** The month of Ramadan is when the Quran was sent down as guidance for
mankind, and with explanations for guidance, and as a Standard. Let any of you
who is at home during the month, fast in it; while anyone who is ill or on a
journey should [set an equal] number of other days.

God wants thins to be easy for you and does not want any hardship for you, so
complete the number and magnify God because He has guided you, so that you may
act grateful.

God's Care

* Whenever My servants ask you about Me, [it means] I am Near.
I answer the appeal of the prayerful one whenever he appeals to Me.
Let them respond to Me, and believe in Me so they may be directed!

* It is lawful for you to have intercourse with your wives on the
night of the Fast: they are garments for you while you are garments for them.
God knows how you have been deceiving yourselves, so He has relented towards
you and pardoned you. Now [feel free to} frequent them and seek what God has
prescribed for you.

Eat and drink until the white streak [of dawn] can be distinguished by you
from the black thread [of night] at daybreak. Then complete the Fast until
nightfall and have no dealings with women while you are secluded at your
devotions in the mosques. Such are God's limits, so do not attempt to cross
them! Thus God explains His signs to mankind so they may do their duty.

Waste and Bribery

* Do not eat up one another's wealth to no good purpose, nor try to bribe
authorities with it so you may consume a share of [other] people's wealth
viciously while you realize [what you are doing].

(XXIV)* They will ask you about the phases of the moon. SAY: "They serve as
datelines for mankind as well as the Pilgrimage. It is no virtue for you to go
into houses through their backdoors, but virtue lies in doing one's duty;
approach houses through their [front] doors and heed God, so that you may
prosper.

Agression

** Fight those who fight against you along God's way, yet do not initiate
hostilities; God does not love aggressors. * Kill them wherever you may catch
them, and expel the from anywhere they may have expelled you. Sedition is
more serious than killing! Yet do not fight them at the Hallowed Mosque
unless the fight you there. If they should fight you, then fight them back; such
is the reward for disbelievers. * However if they stop, God will be forgiving,
Merciful. * Fight them until there is no more subversion and [all] religion
belongs to God. If they stop, let there be no [more] hostility except toward
wrongdoers.

* One hallowed month matches [another] hallowed month, while sacred matters
have [their] means of compensation. Attack anyone who attacks you to the same
extent as he has attacked you. Heed God, know that God stands by the heedful. **
Spend for God's sake, yet do expose yourselves to ruin through your own hands.
Do good: God loves those who act kindly.

Pilgrimage

* Accomplish the Pilgrimage and the Experience for God's sake. If you are
prevented from doing so, then make some offering available. Do not shave your
heads until after the offering has reached its destination. For anyone of you
who is ill or has some rash on his head, redemption means fasting, or some other
act of charity or devotion. Once you feel safe, anyone who is enjoying the
Experience along with the Pilgrimage should [send along] whatever he may make
available in the form of an offering. Whoever does not find any should fast
three days during the Pilgrimage and seven [more] when you return [home]; those
make ten exactly. That is for anyone whose family is not present at the Hallowed
Mosque. Heed God and know that God is Firm in retribution.

(XXV) Pilgrimage falls during specific months. Anyone who undertakes the
Pilgrimage during them should not indulge in amorous intercourse, nor any
immorality nor wrangling during the Pilgrimage, God knows about any good you may
do. Make provision; yet the best provision is doing yourduty.
Heed me, those who are prudent!

*It will not be held against you if you seek bounty from your Lord. When you
stream forth from Arafat, remember God at the Hallowed Monument. Remember Him
just as He has guided you, even if previously you acted like those who are lost.
* Then stream forth from wherever the people stream forth, and seek forgiveness
from God. God is Forgiving, Merciful! *** Once you have performed your
ceremonies, remember God just as you remember your forefathers, or even more
fervently. There is the occasional man who says: "Our Lord, give us [such and
such] during this world!" while he will have no share in the Hereafter. * There
is another kind who says:

A Short Prayer

"Our Lord, give us something fine in this world, as well as something
finein the Hereafter, and shield us from the torment of
Fire!"

* Those will have a portion of anything they have earned: God is swift in
reckoning!

* Remember God during the calculated days. Anyone whose anxious to leave
within two days commits no offence, while anyone who stays on, commits no
offence either, provided he does his duty. Heed God, and know that you will be
summoned to Him.

Frivolity and Anarchy Condemned

* There is a certain man whose talk about worldly life intrigues you. He
calls God to witness whatever is in his heart. He is extremely violent in
quarreling. ** Whenever he holds the upper hand, he rushes around the earth
ruining it. He destroys [people's] crops and breeding stock even though God does
not like ruination. * When someone tells him: "Heed God," a [false] sense of
importance leads him off to sin. He can count on Hell; what an awful couch!

* Another type sells his own soul while craving God's approval, even though
God is Gentle with [His] servants. * You who believe, enter absolutely into
peace! Do not follow Satan's footsteps; he is an open enemy of yours. * If you
should lapse after explanations have come to you, then know that God is
Powerful, Wise. ** Are they only waiting for God as well as angels to come along
to them under canopies of clouds, so the matter will be settled? Unto God do
matters return!

(XXVI)* Ask the Children of Israel how many clear signs We have given them.
Anyone who changes God's favor once it has come to him will find God is Stem in
punishment. * Worldly life has attracted those who disbelieve. They ridicule
those who believe! Yet those who do their duty will stand ahead of them on
Resurrection Day; God provides for anyone He wishes without any reckoning!

* Mankind was [once] one nation, so God dispatched prophets as heralds and
warners. He sent the Book down along with them to bring the Truth, so as to
decide among mankind concerning whatever they had been disagreeing about.
However only those to whom it was given disagreed about it out of envy towards
one another, after explanations had been brought them. By His permission God has
guided those who believe to any Truth they may have disagreed about. God guides
anyone He wishes to a Straight Road.

* Or did you reckon you will enter the Garden when the same thing never
happened to you such as [happened] to those who have passed away before you?
Suffering and hardship assailed them, and they were battered about until the
Messenger and those who believed along with him said: "When is God's support
[due]? Is not God's support near?"

** They will ask you about what they should spend [in taxes]. SAY: 'Any money
you contribute should be [first] spent on both your parents, close relatives,
orphans, the needy and the wayfarer. God is Aware of any good you do. * Fighting
is also prescribed for you even though it may seem detestable to you. It may be
that you detest something which is good for you; while perhaps you love
something even though it is bad for you. God knows, while you do not know."

(XXVII)*They will ask you about fighting during the hallowed month.
SAY: "Fighting in it is serious, while obstructing God's way, disbelief in Him
and the Hallowed Mosque, and turning His people out of it are even more serious
with God. Even dissension is more serious than killing."

They will never stop fighting you until they make you abandon your religion
if they can manage to do so. Anyone of you who abandons his religion and dies
while he is a disbeliever will find their actions will miscarry in this world
and the Hereafter. Those [will become] inmates o the Fire; they will remain
there. * Those who have believed and who have migrated and striven for God's
sake may expect to receive God's mercy, for God is Forgiving, Merciful.

Liquor and Gambling

* They will ask you about liquor and gambling. SAY: In each of them there
lies serious vice as well as some benefits for mankind. Yet their vice is
greater than their usefulness."

They may ask you what to spend. SAY: "As much as you can spare!" Thus God
explains His signs to you so that you may meditate ** concerning this world and
the Hereafter.

Orphans

They will ask you about orphans. SAY: "To improve their lot is best; if you
have any dealings with them, [remember] they are your brethren. God
distinguishes the plunderer from the improver. If God so wished, He might crush
you. God is Powerful, Wise.

Marriage with Associators

* Do not marry women who associate [others with God] until they believe. A
believing maid is better than an associating woman, no matter how attractive she
may seem to you. Do not let [your daughters] marry men who associate [others
with God] until the latter believe; a believing slave is better than an
associator, no matter how attractive he may seem you. Those people invite (one)
to the Fire while God invites (us) to t Garden and to forgiveness through His
permission. He explains His signs to mankind in order that they may bear them in
mind.

Memstruation

(XXVIII)*They will ask you about menstruation. SAY: "Itis a
nuisance, so keep away from women during menstruation. Do not approach them
until they are cleansed. Once they cleanse themselves, then go to them just as
God has commanded you to do. God loves the penitent and He loves those who try
to keep clean.

Marriage

* Your wives are [meant] for you to cultivate: so go to your cultivation
whenever you wish. Send things on ahead for yourselves, and heed God; know that
you will be meeting Him. Proclaim such to believers!

Oaths

* Do not use God as an excuse in your oaths, to keep yourselves from being
virtuous, doing your duty, and improving matters among mankind God is Alert,
Aware. ** God does not take you to task for any idle talk in your oaths, but He
does take you to task for whatever your hearts have earned. God is Forgiving,
Lenient.

Divorce

* Those who fail to [have intercourse with] their wives, should lie low for
four months longer. If they should then change their minds, well God is
Forgiving, Merciful.* However if they insist on a divorce, God s Alert, Aware.

* Divorced women should wait [alone] by themselves for three menstrual
periods; it is not lawful for them to hide what God has created in their wombs
if they believe in God and the Last Day. Their husband ought to take them back
meanwhile in case they want a reconciliation. Women have the same [rights in
relation to their husbands] as are expected in all decency from them; while men
stand a step above them. God is Powerful, Wise.

Divorce (cont'd)

(XXIX)* Divorce may be [pronounced] twice; then [it means] either to retain
[your mate] in all decency, or else part from [the other partner] with (all)
kindness. It is not lawful for you to take anything you have given any women
unless both parties fear they will not keep within God's limits. If you fear
they will not keep within God's limits, then there is no blame on either of them
if she buys him off. Such are God's limits, so do not exceed them; those who
exceed God's limits are wrongdoers. ** If he [finally] divorces her, she is not
allowed [to remarry] him afterward, until she marries some husband other than
him [in between]. If [the latter later] divorces her, there is no blame on
either of them if they return to one another, provided they both think they can
keep within God's limits.

Such are God's limits; He explains them to folkwho know. * Once you
divorce women, and they have reached the end of their waiting period, then
either retain them in all decency or part from them decently. Do not retain them
just to act mean with them; anyone who does that merely hurts himself. Do not
take God's signs as a joke! Remember God's favor towards you, and anything He
has sent down to you out of the Book and wisdom for your instruction. Heed God
and know that God is Aware of everything.

(XXX)* Whenever you divorce women and they have reached the end their waiting
period, do not hinder them from marrying their [new] husbands if they have
agreed to do sowith proper formalities among themselves. Whoever among
you believes in God and the Last Day is instructed to act thus; that is purer
for you as well as more orderly. God knows while you do not know [what is
fitting].

Nursing Mothers

* Mothers should breastfeed their children two full years, provided they want
to complete the nursing. The family head must support women and clothe them
properly. Yet no person is charged with more than he can cope with. No mother
should be made to suffer because of her child, nor family head because of his
child. An heir has the same [duties] in that respect. If they both prefer to
wean [the child] when they have agreed terms and consulted together, it should
not be held against them; so if you want to find a wetnurse for your children,
it should not be held against you, provided you hand over whatever you may have
given in all decency. Heed God and know that God is Observant of anything you
do.

Widows

Proposals of Marriage

* Those of you who pass away and leave spouses behind, let [the latter] hold
themselves back for four months and ten [days more]. Once they reach the end of
their term, you are not responsible for however they may dispose of themselves
with due formality. God is Informed of anything you do. ** It should not be held
against you concerning whatever you propose in the way of becoming engaged to
such women, or may keep yourselves; God knows that you will bear them in mind.
However do not propose anything to them secretly unless you utter a formal
statement. Do not tie the marriage knot until the decree has become final; know
that God knows whatever is on your minds, so be careful with Him! Know that God
is Forgiving, Lenient.

Alimony

(XXXI) * It will not be held against you if you divorce women when you have
never had any contact with them, nor assigned them any living. Provide for them,
the well-to-do according to his means and the straitened according to his means;
an assignment is due in all decency from those who act kindly. * If you divorce
women before you have had contact with them and have already assigned them a
living, then [give them] half of what you have assigned [them] unless they
forego it, or the man in whose hand lies the marriage knot foregoes it. That you
forego it is nearer heedfulness. Do not forget to be generous with one another;
God is Observant of whatever you do.

Prayer

* Watch over prayers and [especially] the Middle Prayer; and stand up
devoutly to [worship] God. * If you feel afraid while on foot or out riding,
then [perform it] once you feel safe. Remember God just as He has taught you
what you did not know.

Wills and Inheritance

** For those of you who pass away leaving [widowed] spouses, a will means
making provision for a year without having them leave [home]. If any women
should leave, then you are not to blame for however they may dispose of
themselves in all decency. God is Powerful, Wise. * Divorced women should have
some provision [made] for them as a duty binding on the heedful. * Thus God
explains His signs to you, so you may use your reason.

Refugees

(XXXII)* Have you not seen those who have left their homes? There were
thousands of them risking death! God told them: "Die!"; then He revived them.
God possesses bounty for mankind, even though most men do not act grateful.

Fighting for God's Sake

* Fight in God's way and know that God is Alert, Aware. ** Who is there to
offer God a handsome loan, so He may compound it many times over for him? God
both withholds and bestows; to Him will you return.

* Have you not seen how the councilors for the Children of Israel told a
prophet of theirs [who came] after Moses: "Send us a king; we will fight for
God's sake." He said: "Perhaps you will not fight even though fighting has been
prescribed for you." They said: "What do we have to keep us from fighting for
God's sake? We and our children have been turned out of our homes!"

King Saul

Yet whenever fighting was prescribed for them, all but a few of them turned
away. God is Aware as to who are evildoers. * Their prophet told them: "God has
sent Saul as a king for you." They said: "How could he hold control over us,
since we are fitter to exercise control than he is? He has not been given ample
wealth."

He said: "God has singled him out for you and added plenty to his knowledge
and physique. God gives his control to anyone He wishes; God is Boundless,
Aware." * Their prophet told them: "A sign of his control will be that the Ark
shall come to you containing Serenity from your Lord, as well as some relics
which Moses' house and Aaron's house have left behind. The angels will bring it;
in that there will be a sign for you if you are believers.

(XXXIII)*When Saul set out with the troops, he said: "God will test
you at a river: anyone who drinks from it will not be on my side; while anyone
who does not taste it is with me, except for someone who scoops up only a
palmful in his hand." Yet all but a few of them drank some of it!

When he and those who were along with him and believed had crossed over, they
said: "We have no way today to prevail over Goliath and his troops!" Those who
thought they were going to meet God said: "How often has a small detachment
defeated a larger detachment with God's permission! God stands alongside the
patient!"

** When they marched forth to face Goliath and his troops, they said [in
prayer]: "Our Lord, fillus full of patience and brace our feet. Support
us against such disbelieving folk!"

* They routed them with God's permission. David killed Goliath, God gave him
control and wisdom, and taught him whatever He wished. If God did not defend
some men by means of others, the earth would ruined; but God possesses bounty
for [everybody in] the Universe. These are God's verses which We recite to you
for the Truth, since you are one the messengers.

PART THREE

(XXXIIIcont'd)* We have preferred some of these messengers over
others. Some of them God spoke to, while others He raised in rank. We gave Jesus
the son of Mary explanations, and endorsed him by means of the Holy Spirit. If
God had wished, the ones who came after them would not have fallen out with one
another once explanations had come to them; however they disagreed. Some of them
believed while others disbelieved. If God had wished, they would not have fallen
out with one another, but God does whatever He wants.

(XXXIV)* You who believe, spend some of what We have provided you with before
a day comes along in which there will be no bartering, friendship, nor any
intercession! Disbelievers are such evildoers.

God's Seat

** God! There is no deity except Him, the Living, the Eternal!
Slumber does not overtake Him, nor does sleep. What the Heavens hold and
what Earth holds [belongs] to Him. Who is there to intercede with Him
except by His permission? He knows what lies before them and what's behind
them, while they embrace nothing of His knowledge except whatever He may
wish. His Seat extends far over Heaven and Earth; preserving them
both does not overburden Him. He is the Sublime, the Almighty!

Tolerance

* There should be no compulsion in religion. Normal behavior stands out
clearly from error; so anyone who rejects the Arrogant ones and believes in God
has grasped the Firmest Handle which will never break. God is Alert, Aware.

* God is the Patron of those who believe. He brings them out of darkness
into Light, while those who disbelieve have the Arrogant ones for their
patrons; they will lead them out of Light into darkness. Those are
inmates of the Fire. they shall remain there!

Abraham's Proof With The Sun

(XXXV)* Have you not considered the person who argued with Abraham about his
Lord, concerning whether God would grant him any control. When Abraham said: "My
Lord is the One Who gives life and bring death;" [the former] said: "I (too)
give life and bring death!" Abraham said: "God brings the sun from the East, so
you bring it from the West." The man who disbelieved was dumbfounded. God does
not guide such wrong-doing folk.

The Stranger at the Ghost Town

* Or like the man who passed by a town whose roofs had caved in. He said:
"How will God revive this following its death?" God let him die for a hundred
years; then raised him up again.

He said: "How long have you been waiting here?" He said: "I've been waiting a
day or part of a day." He said: "Rather you have stayed here a hundred years.
Yet look at your food and drink: they have not yet even become stale! And look
at your donkey. We will grant you it as a sign for mankind. Look how We set its
bones together, then clothe them with flesh."

When it was explained to him. he said: "I know that God is Capable of
everything!"

** When Abraham said: "My Lord, show me how You revive the dead;" He said:
"Why, do you not believe?" He said: "Of course [I do], but just to set my heart
at ease." He said: "Take four [kinds] of birds and train them to [follow] you;
then place a part of them on every mountain. Then call them; they will come to
you at once. Know that God is Powerful, Wise."

Charity is Like Sprouting Grain

Grudging Forbidden

(XXXVI)* Those who spend their wealth for God's sake may be compared to a
grain which sprouts into seven ears with a hundred grains in each ear. God
multiplies things for anyone He wishes; God is Boundless, Aware. * Those who
spend their wealth for God's sake, then do not follow up what they have spent
with any reproach or scolding, shall receive their earnings from their Lord. No
fear will lie upon them nor should they feel saddened. * Polite conversation and
forgiveness are better than any act of charity followed by a scolding. God is
Transcendent, Lenient.

The Bare Boulder

* You who believe, do not cancel your acts of charity by [making] any
reproach or scolding like someone who spends his money simply for people to see
it while he does not believe in God and the Last Day. He may be compared to a
boulder covered with some soil which a rainstorm strikes and leaves bare. They
cannot do anything with whatever they have earned. God does not guide such
disbelieving folk.

The Hilltop Garden

** Those who spend their wealth seeking God's approval and to strengthen
their souls may be compared to a garden on a hilltop; should a rainstorm strike
it, its produce is doubled, while if a rainstorm does not strike it, then
drizzle does. God is Observant of anything you do. * Would any of you like to
have a garden full of palms and grapes through which rivers flow? He would have
all [sorts of] fruit in it. Yet old age will afflict him while he still has some
helpless offspring, and a windstorm containing fire will strike it, so it is
burned off. Thus God explains signs to you so that you (all) may think things
over.

Charity and Taxes

(XXXVII)* You who believe, spend some of the wholesome things you may have
acquired as well as anything We produce from the earth for you. Do not choose
the poorest parts of it for anything you spend [in taxes or on charity] which
you yourselves would only accept disdainfully. Know that God is Transcendent,
Praiseworthy. * Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to misbehave
sexually, while God promises you forgiveness from Himself as well as bounty. God
is Boundless, Aware. * He gives wisdom to anyone He wishes, and anyone He gives
wisdom to, receives an abundant boon. Yet only prudent persons will reflect on
it.

** God knows any expenses you may have incurred, or any promise you may have
sworn. Wrongdoers will have no supporters. * If you publicize any acts of
charity, it is quite worthwhile; while if you conceal them and give [directly]
to the poor, it will be even better for you, and will cancel out some of your
evil deeds for you. God is Informed about anything you do. * Guiding them is not
your duty, but God guides anyone He wishes to. Any (tax] money you may spend is
for your own good and whatever you spend is only through a craving to see God's
face. Any money you spend will be repaid you, and you will not be harmed.

The Genteel Poor

* Take care of the poor who, being totally absorbed in working for God's
cause, cannot manage to travel [freely] around the earth seeking their
livelihood. An ignorant person might assume they are rich because of their
modesty; yet you will recognize them from their features: they do not make
insistent demands on people. Yet God is Aware of any money you may so spend.

(XXXVIII)* Those who spend their wealth night and day, both privately and
publicly, will receive their earnings from their Lord. No fear will lie upon
them nor need they ever feet saddened.

The Loan Business

** Those who live off the interest on loans will never stand up, except in
the way those whom Satan knocks down with a fitrise up again. That is
because they say: "Trading is just like taking interest." Yet God haspermitted trading and forbidden taking interest. Anyone who receives such
an instruction from his Lord and stops doing so, may keep whatever [capital] is
a thing of the past, while his case rests with God; yet those who do so over and
over again will become inmates of the Fire, to remain the for ever. * God wipes
out usury and nourishes acts of charity; God does not love every vicious
disbeliever.

* Those who believe and perform honorable actions, keep up prayer and pay the
welfare tax, will receive their wages from their Lord; no fear shall lie upon
them nor should they feel saddened. * You who believe heed God and write off
anything that remains outstanding from lending at interest if you are [true]
believers. * If you do not do so, then be prepared to face war declared by God
and His messenger! If you repent, you may retain your principal. Do not wrong
[others] and you will not be wronged.

** If any debtor suffers hardship, then postpone [repaying] it until
conditions become easier [for him]; while if you treat it as an act of charity,
would be better for you, if you only knew! * Heed a day when you will be brought
back to God; then every soul will be paid in fun according to whatever he has
earned, and they will not be treated unjustly.

Debts and Loans; Buying on Credit

(XXXIX)* You who believe, whenever you contract a debt for a stated period,
write it down. Let some literate person write [what goes on] between you
properly; no literate person should refuse to write it down. Just as God has
taught him, so let him write it down, and let the borrower dictate. May he heed
God and not omit any part of it.

If the borrower is feeble-minded or incapacitated or cannot manage to dictate
himself, then let his guardian dictate it in all fairness, and seek out two
witnesses from among your men-folk to act as witnesses. If there are not two men
[available], then one man and two women [may serve] as witnesses from anyone you
may approve of, so that if either of them should slip up, then the other woman
may remind the other. Witnesses must not refuse [to serve] when they are called
upon, nor try to get out of writing anything down whether it is small or large,
along with its due date.

Such [procedure] is more equitable so far as God is concerned and it makes
for more valid testimony, as well as reducing the chances for doubt; unless it
is some transaction handled on the spot that you pass around among yourselves,
in which case it will not be held against you for not writing it down. Call in
witnesses whenever you engage in trade, and let no literate man nor any witness
feel obligated if you do so; that would be immoral on your part. Heed God, for
God teaches you! God is Aware of everything.

* If you are on a journey and do not find any literate person, then a deposit
may be withheld as a lien. If one of you entrusts (something to] another, the
one who has been entrusted with it should hand over his security and he should
heed God his Lord and not hide any testimony. Anyone who hides it has a vicious
heart. God is Aware of anything you do!

(XL)* God holds whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth; whether you
disclose what is on your minds, or hide it, God will bring you to account for
it. He forgives anyone He wishes to and punishes anyone wishes; God is Capable
of everything!

An Islamic Profession of Faith

** The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from Lord, and
[so do] believers; everyone believes in God and His angels, His books and His
messengers. We do not differentiate between any His messengers. They say: "We
have heard and obey; (we beg) Your pardon, our Lord! Toward You lies the Goal!"

* God only assigns a soul something it can copewith: it is
credited with whatever it has earned, while it is debited with whatever it has
brought upon itself.

Our Lord, do not take us to task if we have forgotten or slipped up!
Our Lord, do not lay any obligation us such as You placed on those
before us. Our Lord, do not overburden us with more than we can bear!
Pardon us, forgive us, and show us mercy! You are our Protector, so
support us against disbelieving folk!

3. House of Imran

THIS CHAPTER consists of 200 verses arranged in twenty sections; like the
previous one and Chapters 29 through 32, it begins with the initials A.L.M. It
was revealed during the third or fourth year which the Prophet spent in Madina
(approximately 625 A.D.), after the chapter Booty 7 and before The
Coalition 33.

lmran was a common ancestor of Moses and Jesus. The first section teaches us
how to read the Quran; the second explains the principle God's Oneness.
Persecution and the concept of God as the Sovereign discussed in section III
.The stories of Zachariah (IV) and Jesus (V-VI) follow. Abraham appears
in VII.Exploitation and arrogation are explain in VII,and how to
treat turncoats in IX.The parable of 'The Bitter Wind" comes in XIIwhile the pious or heedful aredescribed in XIV. We learn about the
Prophet's trials with the battle of Uhud in the year 3 / 625 (XILL XVI) . The
Town Crier givesus another figure: with him the chapter ends (XX).

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I)* A. L. M.

* God, there is no deity except Him, the Living, the Eternal!

* He has sent down the Book to you with Truth to confirm whatever existed
before it. He sent down the Torah and the Gospel * in the past as guidance for
mankind; He has (also) sent down the Standard. Those who disbelieve in God's
signs will have severe torment- God is Powerful, the Master of Retribution!

** Nothing is hidden from God, on Earth nor in Heaven. *He it is Who shapes
you just as He wishes in [your mothers'] wombs. There is no deity except Him,
the Powerful, the Wise! * He is the One Who sent you down the Book which
contains decisive verses. They [form] the basis of the Book; while others are
allegorical.

Those whose hearts are prone to falter follow whatever is allegorical in it,
seeking to create dissension by giving [their own] interpretation of it. Yet
only God knows its interpretation; those who are versed in knowledge say: "We
believe in it; it all comes form our Lord!" However only prudent persons bear it
in mind.

Our Lord, do not let our hearts falter once You have guided us; grant us
mercy from Your presence, for You are the Bountiful! * Our Lord, You will be
gathering mankind together on a day there is no doubt about; God will never go
back on the Promise!

(II) **Neither their wealth nor their children will ever save those
who disbelieve in any way from God; those will be fuel for the Fire. * In the
case of Pharaoh's house as well as those before them, they denied Our signs, so
God seized them because of their offences; God is Stern in punishment.

* TELL those who disbelieve: "You will be defeated and summoned to Hell! How
awful is such a resting place!" * You have already had a sign in the two
detachments which met, one detachment fighting for God's sake and the other
disbelieving; they saw them with their own eyes as twice the same [number] as
themselves. God assists anyone He wishes through His support; in that there lies
a lesson for persons with insight. * The love of passions [that come] from women
and children has attracted mankind, as well as accumulated gold and silver
treasures, pedigreed horses, livestock and crops. That means enjoyment during
worldly life, while God holds the finest retreat.

** SAY: "Should I give you news of something even better than that? Those who
do their duty will have gardens through which rivers flow to live in for ever
with their Lord, plus purified spouses and approval from God. God is Observant
of [His] worshippers * who say: "Our Lord, we believe, so forgive us our
offences and shield us from the torment of Fire!" * [They are] the patient ones,
loyal and steadfast, who spend [in charity] and seek forgiveness before dawn
each morning.

* God testifies there is no deity except Himself and so do the angels and
persons possessing knowledge. Maintaining fairplay, there is no deity except
Him, the Powerful, the Wise.

* Religion with God means [Islam:]commitment to [live in]
peace.

Those who have already been given the Book did not disagree until after
knowledge had come to them, out of envy for one another. Anyone who disbelieves
in God's signs [will find] God is Prompt in reckoning!

** If they should argue with you, then say: "I have committed my person
peacefully to God, and [so has] anyone who follows me. Tell both those who have
been given the Book as well as the unlettered: 'Have you become Muslims?" If
they commit themselves to [live in] peace, then they are guided; while if they
turn away, you need merely to state things plainly. God is Observant of [His]
worshippers.

(III) *Announce painful torment for those who disbelieve in God's signs and
kill prophets without any right to, and kiII those people who order fairplay. *
Those are the ones whose actions will miscarry in this world as well as the
Hereafter; they will have no supporters.

* Have you not considered those who were given a portion [of knowledge] from
the Book? They were invited to [accept] God's book so it might judge between
them; then a group of them turned away and disregarded [it].

* That is because they say: "The Fire will never touch us except for several
days." Whatever they have invented about their religion has led them astray.

** How will it be when We gather them in on a day there is no doubt about,
and each soul will be paid off according to whatever it has earned? They will
not be wronged!

God the Sovereign

* SAY: "O God, Holder of control! You give control to anyone You
wish and snatch control from anyone You wish.You exalt anyone You wish
and humble anyone You wish.Good lies within Your hand;You are
Capable of everything!

* You wrap night up in daylight, and wrap daytime up in night. You
draw the living from the dead, and draw the dead from the living. You
provide for anyone You wish without any reckoning!

* Believers should not enlist disbelievers as patrons in preference to
[other] believers. Anyone who does so will have nothing to do with God, so you
should take precautions against them. God warns you about Himself-, for towards
God lies the Goal!

* SAY:"Whether you hide what is on your minds or disclose it, God
knows it [anyhow]; He knows whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth God
is Capable of everything!" ** Some day when every person will find whatever good
he has done is presented [as evidence] as well as whatever bad he has done, he
would like a long stretch [to lie] between them and himself. God cautions you
about Himself-, though God is Gentle with [His] worshippers.

(IV)* SAY:"If you have been loving God, then follow me; God will then
love you and forgive you your offences. God is Forgiving, Merciful!' * SAY:
"Obey God and the Messenger." Yet if they should turn away, [remember that] God
does not love disbelievers. * God selected Adam and Noah, Abraham's House and
Imran's House over [everyone in] the Universe. * Some of their
offspring are descended from others. God is Alert, Aware. ** Thus a woman [from
the House] of Imran said: "My Lord, I have freely consecrated whatever is
in my womb to You. Accept it from me; You are Alert, Aware!

* When she gave birth, she said: "My Lord, I have given birth to a
daughter."-(God was quite Aware of what she had given birth to, for a male is
not like a female)-"I have named her Mary, and ask You to protect her and
her offspring 'from Satan the Outcast."

Zachariah

* Her Lord accepted her in a handsome manner and caused her to grow like a
lovely plant, and told Zachariah to take care of her. Every time Zachariah
entered the shrine to [see] her, he found she had already been supplied with
food. He said: "Mary, how can this be meant for you?" She said: "It comes from
God, for God provides for anyone He wishes without any reckoning." * With that
Zachariah appealed to his Lord; he said: 'My Lord, grant me goodly offspring
from Your presence, for You are the Hearer of Appeals."

* The angels called him while he was standing praying in the shrine: "God
gives you news of John, who will confirm word from God, masterful yet
circumspect, and a prophet [chosen] from among honorable people."

** He said: "My Lord, how can I have a boy? Old age has overtaken me, while
my wife is barren."

He said: "Even so does God do anything He wishes!" * He said: 'My Lord, grant
me a sign." He said: "Your sign is that you will not speak to people for three
days except through gestures. Mention your Lord often and glorify [Him] in the
evening and early morning hours."

The Story of Jesus

(V)* So the angels said: "Mary, God has selected you and purified you. He has
selected you over [all] the women in the Universe. * Mary, devote yourself to
your Lord; fall down on your knees and bow alongside those who so bow down."

* Such is some information about the Unseen We have revealed to you. You were
not in their presence as they cast [lots with] their pens [to see] which of them
would be entrusted with Mary. You were not in their presence while they were so
disputing.

** Thus the angels said: "Mary, God announces word to you about someone whose
name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, [who is] well regarded in this world
and the Hereafter, and one of those drawn near [to God]. * He will speak to
people while still an infant and as an adult, and will be an honorable person."
* She said: 'My Lord, how can I have a child while no human being has ever
touched me?"

He said: "That is how God creates anything He wishes. Whenever He decides
upon some matter, He merely tells it: 'Be!', and it is. * He will teach him the
Book and wisdom, plus the Torah and the Gospel * as a messenger to the Children
of Israel: 'I have brought you a sign from your Lord. I shall create something
in the shape of a bird for you out of clay, and blow into it so it will become a
[real] bird with God's permission. I shall cure those who are blind from birth
and lepers, and revive the dead with God's permission. I shall announce to you
what you may eat and what you should store up in your houses. That will serve as
a sign for you if you are believers, ** confirming what I have already [learned]
from the Torah. I shall permit you some things which have been forbidden you. I
have brought you a sign from your Lord, so heed God and obey me!

* God is both my Lord and your Lord, so serve Him. This is a Straight Road!"'

His Disciples

* When Jesus sensed disbelief among them, he said: "Who will be my supporters
in the cause of God?" The disciples said: "We are God's supporters! We believe
in God; take note that we are Muslims. * Our Lord, we believe in what You have
sent down and [thus] have followed the Messenger, so enroll us among the
witnesses." * They plotted, while God plotted; however God is the best Plotter!

Jesus (cont'd)

(VI)**So God said: "Jesus, I shall gather you up and lift you towards
Me and purify you from those who disbelieve, and place those who follow you
ahead of those who disbelieve until Resurrection Day. Then to Me will be your
return, and I shall decide among you (all) concerning anything you have been
disagreeing about. * As for those who disbelieve, I will punish them severely in
this world and the Hereafter. They will have no supporters." * As for those who
believe and perform honorable deeds, He will repay them their earnings. God does
not love wrongdoers!

* That which We recite to you comes from the signs and the wise Reminder. *
Jesus' case with God was the same as Adam's: He created him from dust; then told
him: 'Be!" and he was. ** Truth comes from your Lord, so do not be a waverer. *
Tell anyone who argues with you concerning it, once knowledge has come to you;
"Come, let us call our children and your children, our women and your women,
ourselves and yourselves together; then let us plead, and place God's curse upon
the liars."

* These are true stories. There is no deity except God; while God is
Powerful, Wise. * However if they should turn away, God is Aware as to who are
mischief makers.

(VII)* SAY: "People of the Book, [let us] rally to a common formula to be
binding on both us and you, that we shall worship only God [Alone] a associate
nothing else with Him, nor shall any of us take on others as lords instead of
God." If they should turn away, then say: "Bear witness that we are Muslims."

Abraham

** People of the Book, why do you argue about Abraham when Torah and the
Gospel were not sent down until after him? Do you not use your reason? * There
you go, arguing on about someone you (actually) have some knowledge about! Yet
why do you (then) argue about something you have no knowledge about? God knows
while you do not know.

* Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a Seeker [after
Truth], a Muslim; he was no associator of others with God.

* The closest people to Abraham are those who follow him, as well as Prophet
and those who believe. God is the believers' Patron. * A faction from the People
of the Book would like to lead you (all) astray; yet only lead themselves
astray, even though they do not notice it. ** People of the Book, why do you
disbelieve in God's signs while you watch t happen? * People of the Book, why do
you dress Truth up with falsehood and knowingly conceal the Truth?

(VIII)*A faction from among the People of the Book say: "Believe in
what has been sent down to those who believe," at the outset of the day; towards
the end of it, [they say]: "Disbelieve". That may be so they will keep coming
back [to argue with you]. * Believe only in someone who follows your own
religion. SAY: "Guidance [means] guidance from God, lest one
person should he given the same as what you (all) have been given, or they
should argue with you concerning your Lord." SAY: "Bounty [rests] inGod's hand. He gives it to anyone He wishes; God is Boundless, Aware, *
He claims anyone He wishes for His mercy; God possesses tremendous Bounty!"

Exploitation

** If you entrusted some People of the Book with a large sum, he would hand
it back to you; while if you entrusted another with a gold coin, he would never
hand it back to you unless you dunned him for it constantly. That is because
they say: "There is no way for such illiterates [to complain] against us." They
tell a lie about God while they realize it! * Instead, anyone who keeps his word
and performs his duty [will find] God loves the heedful.

Arrogation Explained

* Those who barter God's pledge plus their [own] faith for a paltry price
will have no share in the Hereafter, nor will God ever speak to them nor ever
notice them on Resurrection Day. He will not purify them while they will have
painful torment. * A group of them twist their tongues around concerning the
Book so you will reckon [something] comes from the Book while it is not from the
Book. They say: "It comes from God!", while it is not from God. They knowingly
tell a lie about God!

* It is not proper for God to give the Book plus discretion and prophethood
to any human being, then that [the latter] should tell people: 'Be worshippers
of mine instead of God's," but rather: 'Be the Lord's [Alone] since you have
been teaching the Book and because you have been studying it." ** He does not
order you to adopt angels and prophets as lords; would He order you to
disbelieve once you have become Muslims?"

(XI)*So God accepted an agreement from the prophets: "Have I not
given you some of a Book plus wisdom?" Then a messenger came to you to confirm
what you already had, so you might believe in him and support him. He said:
"Have you acknowledged and accepted that obligation of mine?" They said: 'We so
acknowledge it." He said: "Then act as witnesses; I am one of those testifying
along with you."

Who Are Muslims

* Those who turn away later on act immorally. * Do they crave something
besides God's religion? Whoever is in Heaven and Earth is committed to [make]
peace with Him, whether willingly or reluctantly; to Him will they be returned.

* SAY: "We believe in God and what has been sent down to us, and what was
sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants, and what was
given Moses, Jesus and the prophets by their Lord. We do not differentiate
between any one of them, and we are committed to [live at] peace with Him."

What is Islam

**Anyone who desires something other than Islam as a religion will never have
it accepted from him, while in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. * How
should God e a folk who disbelieve following their [profession of] faith, and
have testified that the Messenger was right and evidence had come to them? God
does not guide wrongdoing folk.

Renegades or Turncoats

* Those will have their reward since God's
curse will lie upon them, as well as the angels' and all mankind's, * to live
with for ever; punishment will not be lightened for them nor will they be
granted any respite * except for those who repent later on and reform. God is
Forgiving, Merciful! ** Those who disbelieve following their [profession of]
faith, then increase in disbelief, will never have their repentance accepted;
those are lost [souls]! * Those who disbelieve and die while they are
disbelievers will never have even all the earth filled with gold accepted from
any one of them, even though they tried to use it as a ransom. Those will have
painful torment while they will have no supporters.

PART FOUR

Food

(X)* You will never attain virtue until you spend something you are fond of;
while God is Aware of anything you may spend. * Every [kind of] food was
permitted the Children of Israel except what Israel had banned herself before
the Torah came down. SAY: 'Bring the Torah and recite it if you have been
truthful." Those who invent a lie concerning God after that will be wrongdoers.
SAY: "God has spoken truly, so follow the sect of Abraham the Seeker; he was no
one to associate [others with God]."

* The first House [of worship] set up for mankind was the one at Becca (sic);
it was blessed and a guidance for [everyone in] the Universe. * In it are clear
signs [such as] Abraham's station. Anyone who enters it will be secure.

Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage to the House is a duty imposed on mankind by God, for anyone who
can afford a way to do so. Anyone who disbelieves [will find] that God is
Transcendent, beyond [any need of] the Universe.

* SAY: "People of the Book, why do you disbelieve in God's signs while God is
a Witness for anything you do?" * SAY: "People of the Book, why do you obstruct
God's way for anyone who believes, seeking to make it crooked, while [moreover],
you (are) watching it happen? God is not oblivious of what you are doing.***You
who believe, if you were to obey a group of those who have been given the Book,
they would turn you back into disbelievers following your [profession of] faith.
* How can you disbelieve while God's verses are being recited to you and His
messenger is among you? Anyone who clings to God will be guided to a Straight
Road.

Who are True Muslims

(XI)* You who believe, heed God the way He should be heeded, and do not die
unless you are Muslims.

* Cling firmly together by means of God's rope, and do not separate.

You were on the brink of a fiery pit, and He saved you from it! Thus God
explains His signs to you, so that you may be guided.

* Let there be a community among you who will invite [others] to [do] good,
command what is proper and prevent dishonor; those will be prosperous. ** Do not
be like those who split up and disagreed after explanations had come to them;
those will have awful torment!

One day some faces will turn white while other faces will turn black. Those
whose faces are blackened [will be asked]: "Did you disbelieve after your
[profession of] faith? Taste torment because you have disbelieved!" * while
those whose faces are whitened will live for ever in God's mercy.

* Those are God's verses which We recite to you for the Truth. God does not
want any harm [to happen] to the Universe. * God holds whatever is in Heaven and
whatever is on Earth, while [all] matters will be returned to God.

(XII)**You are the best community which has been produced for
mankind. You command decency and forbid dishonor, and you believe in God
[Alone]. If the People of the Book would only believe, it would be better for
them; some of them are believers while most of them are perverse. * They will
never harm you except by annoying [you]. Yet if they should fight you, they will
[soon] turn their backs; then they will not be supported. * Disgrace will be
branded on them wherever they are overtaken unless they have a bond [leading] to
God and a bond with other men. They have incurred anger from God while misery
has been branded on them. That is because they have disbelieved in God's signs
and killed the prophets without any right to; that is because they disobey and
act so aggressive.

* Yet they are not [all] alike: some People of the Book form an upright
community; they recite God's verses through the small hours of the night as they
bow down on their knees. * They believe in God and the Last Day; they command
decency and forbid dishonor, and compete in doing good deeds. Those are
honorable men; ** any good they do will never be denied them. God is Aware of
the heedful. * Neither their wealth nor their children will ever help out those
who disbelieve against God in any way; those will become inmates of the Fire,
they will remain there for ever.

The Bitter Wind

* What they spend during this worldly life can be compared to a wind
containing bitter frost which strikes the crop of people who have injured
themselves, and so destroys it. God has not injured them, but rather they injure
themselves.

* You who believe, do not take up with any other persons than your own
fellows as intimates. They will continually cause you turmoil, and they like
anything that will distress you. Loathing shows through their mouths while what
their minds conceal is even greater. We have explained the signs to you provided
you will use your reason. * Here you are, loving such people while they do not
love you! You believe in the whole Book. Yet whenever they meet you, they say:
"We believe;" while when they go off by themselves, they gnaw away at their
fingertips in rage over you.

SAY:"Die in your rage!" God is Aware of what is on your minds.** Whenever
something good happens to you, it annoys them, while if any evil happens to you,
they delight in it. If you are patient and do your duty, their plotting will not
harm you in any way; God embraces anything they do.

The Battle of Uhud

(XIII)*When you rose earlier than your people did in order to station
believers at their battle positions, God was Alert, Aware. * As two factions of
you worried as to whether they should both fall back, God acted as a Patron for
both of them. Believers should rely on God! * God already supported you (all) at
Badr where you were underdogs, so heed God in order that you may be grateful.

* So you told believers: "Will it never be enough for you if your Lord
furnishes you with three thousand angels who have been sent down?" ** Of
course if you act disciplined and obey orders, and they should come at you all
of a sudden just like this, your Lord will supply you with five thousand angels
sent on purpose. * God has merely turned it into good news for you, so your
hearts may feel tranquil over it. Support comes only from God, the Powerful, the
Wise, * so He may cut off a flank from those who disbelieve and restrain them,
and they will be sent home disappointed * It is no concern at all of yours
whether He relents towards them or punishes them, since they are wrongdoers.

* God possesses whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth, He pardons
anyone He wishes and punishes anyone He wishes; God is Forgiving, Merciful.

The Loan Business

(XIV) ** You who believe, do not live off usury which is compounded over and
over again. Heed God so that you may prosper: * heed the Fire which has been
prepared for disbelievers; * obey God and the Messenger so you may find mercy!

The Pious or Heedful

* Hasten towards forgiveness from your Lord and a garden broader than Heaven
and Earth which has been prepared for those who do their duty, * who spend [for
others] throughout happiness and hardships and suppress their anger and overlook
what other people do. God loves the kindly, ** and those who remember God and
seek forgiveness their offences when they commit some shocking deed or harm
themselves-for who forgives offences besides God?-and do not knowingly persist
in whatever they have been doing. * Those will have forgiven from their Lord, as
their reward, plus gardens through which rivers flow to live in for ever. How
blissful will [such] workers' wages be!

* Institutions have passed away before you: travel around the earth observe
what the outcome was for those who deny [it all]. * This is explanation for
mankind, as well as guidance and instruction for heedful: * do not falter nor
feel saddened since you are superior, if you believers. ** If some sore should
afflict you, well sores just like them have afflicted [other] folk. We deal out
such days to mankind, so God recognize those who believe and accept witnesses
from among you - God does not love wrongdoers- * and so God may purge those who
believe and wipe out disbelievers. * Or did you reckon that you would enter the
Garden while God still does not recognize those among you who strive nor does He
know the patient ones. * You used to long for death even before you met it, so
now you have seen it while you were facing it!

(XV) * Muhammad is only a messenger, Messengers have passed away before him.
If he should die or be killed, will you (all) revert to your old ways? Anyone
who turns on his heels will never injure God in any way, while God will reward
the grateful.

** No soul shall die except with God's permission according to specific writ.
As for anyone who wants this world's prize, We shall give him part of it; while
We shall give anyone who wants the prize of the Hereafter, some of it. We will
repay the grateful! * How many a prophet has fought with many devout men
alongside him! They never faltered despite what had afflicted them for God's
sake; they did not weaken nor yield. God loves the patient! * Their statement
was merely to say: "Our Lord, pardon us our offences and our excesses in
business. Brace our footsteps and support us against disbelieving folk!" * So
God gave them this world's prize, although the prize in the Hereafter will be
even finer.God loves the kindly.

The Battle of Uhud Again

(XVI) * You who believe, if you should obey those who disbelieve, they will
turn you around on your heels and send you home as losers. ** Rather God is your
Protector; He is the best Supporter! * We will cast panic into the hearts of
those who disbelieve, because they have associated others with God for which He
has sent down no authority. Their refuge will be the Fire, and how wretched will
such wrongdoers' lodging be!

* God confirmed His promise to you as you grappled with them by His
permission, until you faltered and argued about the matter; you disobeyed after
He had shown you what you would love (to have). Some of you want this world,
while others of you want the Hereafter.

Then he diverted you from them so He might test you. Yet He has overlooked it
in you; God possesses bounty for believers. * When you were climbing up [the
hillside] and did not follow anyone, and the Messenger was calling to you from
your rear, He rewarded you with one worry after another so you would not feel so
sad because of what had eluded your grasp nor for what had afflicted you. God is
Informed about anything you do!

* Then following [your] worry, He sent down confidence upon you; a drowsiness
overcame one squadron of yours, while another squadron fretted themselves
thinking something besides the Truth about God, guesswork from [the times of]
Ignorance. They said: "Is this a concern of ours in any way?" SAY: "The whole
concern is up to God." They hide something they do not show in their souls; they
say: "If we had had anything to do with the matter, we would not have had to
fight here."

SAY: "Even though you were in your own homes, those for whom killing has been
prescribed would have shown up on their deathbeds, so that God might test what
is on your minds and purge whatever is in your hearts. God is Aware of whatever
is on your minds! ** Those of you who turned away on the day when both troops
met, were only tripped up by Satan because of something they had earned. However
God has pardoned them, for God is Forgiving, Lenient."

(XVII)*You who believe, do not be like those who disbelieve and tell
their brethren when they travel around the earth or are out on some campaign:
"If they had been with us, they would not have died nor been killed," so that
God places that [sort of] despair in their hearts. God gives life and brings
death; God is Observant of anything you do. * If you should be killed for God's
sake or die, forgiveness and mercy from God are better than what they are
gathering; * yet if you should die or be killed, you will still be summoned [to
appear] before God.

* However since mercy from God does exist, you have been easy on them. If you
had been harsh and cruel-hearted, they would have dispersed from around you.
Pardon them, seek forgiveness for them. and consult with them on the matter.

Reliance on God

Yet once you have reached a decision, then rely on God;

God loves those who are reliant.

** If God supports you (all), there is no one who will overcome you; while if
He should forsake you, who is there (left] to support you later on? O God should
believers rely!

* No prophet should hold back anything; and anyone who defrauds [someone
else] will bring along whatever he has been withholding on Resurrection Day.
Then every soul will be repaid for whatever it has earned, and they will not be
harmed. * Is someone who follows after God's approval like someone else who
incurs wrath from God? His refuge will be Hell, and how awful is such a goal!

* There are ranks with God, and God is Observant of whatever they are doing.
* God has benefited believers whenever He sent them a messenger from
among themselves, to recite His verses to them and purify them, and teach
them the Book and wisdom, whereas previously they had been in plain error. **
Yet whenever some disaster strikes you, such as has struck you twice as heavy
already, you have said: "What's this for?" SAY: 'It is your own doing; God is
Capable of everything."

* Whatever happened to you on the day when both troops clashed, occurred with
God's permission, so He might recognize believers * and recognize those who act
hypocritically. They were told: "Come fight in God's way or [at least] defend
yourselves." They said: "If we knew how to fight, we would follow you." They
were nearer disbelief than faith that day. They say with their mouths what is
not in their hearts; although God is quite Aware of what they are concealing. *
Those who tell their brethren while they remain behind: "if they had obeyed us,
they would not have been killed," should be told: 'Avert death from yourselves
if you are so truthful!"

Martyrs

* Do not reckon those who are killed for God's sake are dead, but rather
[they Martyrsare] living; they will be provided for by their Lord, ** so
happy will they be with whatever God has given them out of His bounty, and
rejoicing for those they left behind who have not yet overtaken them.

No fear will fall on them nor will they be saddened; * they will rejoice
because of favor and bounty from God, since God does not deprive believers of
their wages.

(XVIII)*Any persons who respond to God and the Messenger after some
sore has afflicted them, those who act kindly and do their duty, will have a
splendid fee. * Those whom people have told: 'Some people have gathered to
[oppose] you, so be on your guard against them!'; yet it increased them in faith
and they said: "God is our Reckoning, and how splendid is such an
Administrator!' * They returned home with favor and bounty from God; no evil
ever touched them because they followed God's pleasure. God possesses such
splendid bounty! ** That was only Satan who intimidated his adherents. Do not
fear them and [instead] fear Me, if you are believers! * Let not those who
hasten on to disbelief sadden you; they will never injure God in any way. God
wants to grant them no fortune in the Hereafter, where they will have terrible
torment. * Those who purchase disbelief at the price of faith will never injure
God in any way, while they will have painful torment.

* Let not those who disbelieve consider how Our acting indulgent with them is
good so far as their own persons are concerned: We are merely postponing things
for them so they may increase in vice; they will have disgraceful torment. * God
is no One to leave believers where you are now, until He sorts out bad from
good. It is not God's role to acquaint you with the Unseen, but God chooses
anyone He wishes from among His messengers. So believe in God and His messenger;
if you believe and do your duty, you will have a splendid fee. ** Let not those
who act niggardly with any of His bounty God has given them consider it is
better for them; rather it will be worse for them: they will be charged on
Resurrection Day with anything they were so niggardly about. God holds the
inheritance of Heaven and Earth; God is Informed about anything you do.

(XIX)* God has heard the statement of those who say: "God is poor while we
are rich!" We will write down whatever they say and how they killed the prophets
without any right to [do so]. We will say: "Taste the torment of buming." * That
[has happened] because of what your hands sent on ahead. God is no One to harm
[His] worshippers, * such as those who say: "God has charged us not to believe
in any messenger until He brings us some offering which fire will consume." SAY:
"Messengers before me have already brought you explanations and just what you
have said; why did you kill them if you are so truthful? * If they reject you,
messengers before you have already been rejected when they came even with
explanations, the Psalms and the Enlightening Book."

** Every soul will be tasting death: you will merely be repaid your
earnings on Resurrection Day. Anyone who is snatched from the Fire and shown
into the Garden will have triumphed. What does worldly life mean except the
enjoyment of illusion? * You will be tested by means of your wealth and through
your own selves, and you will hear much abuse from those who were given the Book
before you, as well as those who associate [others with God]. If you are patient
and do your duty, that is what will determine matters.

* When God made an agreement with those who were given the Book [saying]:
"You shall explain it to mankind and not conceal it," they tossed it away behind
their backs and sold it for a paltry price. How wretched was what they bought
[instead]! * Do not consider those who feel delighted about what they have been
given and love to be praised for something they have not done, do not reckon
they [have found] any means to triumph over torment. They will have painful
torment! * God holds control over Heaven and Earth; God is Capable of
everything!

Creation

(XX)** In the creation of Heaven and Earth, and the alternation between night
and daylight, there are signs for prudent persons * who remember God while
standing, sifting and [lying] on their sides, and meditate on the creation
of Heaven and Earth [by saying]:

The Town Crier

"Our Lord, You have not created this in vain! Glory be to You! Shield us from
the torment of Fire!

* 'Our Lord, anyone You sentence to the Fire, You will humiliate. Wrongdoers
will have no supporters.

"Our Lord, we heard a crier appealing for belief, [calling out]: 'Believe in
your Lord;' and so we have believed.

"Our Lord, forgive us our offences, remove our evil deeds from us, and gather
us up [at death] with the virtuous.

* "Our Lord, give us what you have promised us through Your messengers, and
do not humiliate us on Resurrection Day. You never go back on any promise!"

Refugees

** So their Lord responded to them: "I shall never waste the work of any
worker among you, whether it is a man or a woman. Some of you [have sprung] from
others. I shall remove their evil deeds for those who have migrated and were
driven out of their homes and mistreated for My sake, and have fought and were
killed; and I shall admit them to a Garden through which rivers flow, as a prize
from God Himself. God holds the finest prize! Do not let it deceive you how
those who disbelieve bustle about the land: * [it means such] brief enjoyment;
then their refuge will be Hell, and how awful will be such a couch! * However
those who heed their Lord will have gardens through which rivers flow, to live
in for ever as a welcome from God. What God possesses is best for the virtuous.

* Some People of the Book do believe in God and what has been sent down to
you and what has been sent down to them, acting reverently towards God. They do
not sell God's signs for a paltry price: those will receive their wages from
their Lord; God is Prompt in reckoning! *** You who believe, act patient,
discipline yourselves, and hold yourselves ready! Heed God so that you may
succeed.

4. Women

THIS LONG chapter contains 176 verses arranged in twenty-four sections which
date from the fourth year that the Prophet spent in Madina, or 625-6 A.D. It was
revealed after Examining Her 60 and before The Earthquake 99, and
it deals with women's rights and conditions after the battle of Uhud 3 / 625.
These concern marriage laws (I &IV), and how to treat women, as the
title itself suggests; in fact, the word "women" echoes constantly
throughout this chapter.

It also takes up the subject of orphans (I &XIX), especially
those girls left after the battle of Uhud, men's duty in maintaining their own
households (VI), and matrimonial rifts (VI & XIX). Inheritance is also dealt
with (I-II,XXIV). Sexual offences form a further theme (III),as
does etiquette and politeness (XI).The sin of Association is mentioned
several times (VI, VII & XVIII).Conditions for prayer are stated
(VII)and the problem of performing prayers during warfare when they are
probably most needed, is worked out (XV). Manslaughter and murder come up in
XIII.We are told to obeyconstituted authority (VIII),and
to strive to pleaseGod (X). Lackeys or'Yesmen" are described in
XX, while the Jews are mentioned in XXII.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I)* Mankind, heed your Lord Who has created you from a single soul, and
created its mate from it, and propagated so many men and women from them
both. Heed God through Whom you hold one another responsible, as well as any
ties of kinship. God is Watching over you.

Orphans and Marriage

* Give orphans their property and do not substitute something bad for
something good nor swallow up their wealth along with your own wealth. It would
be a great outrage. * If you are afraid you will not deal fairly with orphans,
then marry off such women as may seem good to you, in pairs, or three or
four [at a time]. If you [still] fear you will not act justly, then [marry] one
woman [only] or someone your right hand controls. That is more likely to keep
you from committing an injustice. * Give women their marriage portions
with no strings attached. If they themselves waive some of it for you, then
consume it at leisure and with good cheer.

Inheritance

** Do not give the feebleminded your property which God has granted you for
[their] support; provide for them out of it, and clothe them and address them
decently. * Test orphans as soon as they reach a marriageable age. If you are
sure of their maturity, then turn their property over to them; do not use it up
extravagantly, over-anxious lest they should grow up. Anyone who is rich should
restrain himself, while anyone who is poor may live off it in decency. Whenever
you hand their property over to them, have it witnessed for them. God suffices
as a Reckoner!

* Men shall have a portion of whatever parents and near relatives leave,
while women should have a portion of whatever parents and near relatives
leave; no matter how small nor how large it is, a portion is stipulated. * When
near relatives, orphans and paupers are present at the probate, provide for them
out of it and speak politely to them. * Let anyone act cautiously just as they
themselves would fear to leave helpless offspring behind; let them heed God and
speak in a proper manner.

** Those who live off orphans' property without having any right to do so
will only suck up fire into their bellies, and they will (eventually) roast in a
blaze!

Inheritance (cont'd)

(II)*God instructs you concerning your children: a son should have a
share equivalent to that of two daughters. If the women [left behind] are
more than two, then two-thirds of whatever he leaves belongs to them; yet if
there is only one, then she has half. Both his parents shall each receive a
sixth of whatever he may leave, if he had a son. If he had no son, and both his
parents inherit from him, then his mother receives a third. If he has siblings,
then his mother will have a sixth, once the will or any [outstanding] debt has
been settled. You do not know whether your parents or your children are closer
to you in usefulness, as an obligation [laid down] by God, for God is Aware,
Wise.

* You will have half of anything your wives leave, provided they have no
child. If they should leave a child, then you will have a fourth of whatever
they may leave, once the will has been settled or any [outstanding] debt; while
they [your widows] will have a fourth of anything you leave provided you have
left no child. Should you have a child, then they will have an eighth of
anything you leave, after settling any legacy or debt. If either a man or a
woman bequeaths anything to more distant kin while he still has a brother or
sister, then each one of them will have a sixth. If there are more than that,
then they should be partners in a third after settling any legacy or debt, yet
without causing any hardship. It is an instruction from God; God is Aware,
Lenient.

God's Limits

* These are God's limits. Anyone who obeys God and His messenger will be
admitted to gardens through which rivers flow, to live there for ever. That will
be the supreme Achievement! * Anyone who disobeys God and His messenger and
oversteps His limits, will be shown into a Fire to live there for ever; he will
have humiliating torment.

(III)** Should any of your women commit some sexual offence, collect
evidence about them from four [persons] among yourselves. If they so testify,
then confine the women to their houses until death claims them or God
grants them some other way out. * If two of you should indulge in it, trounce
them both. If they repent and reform, then ostracize them both. God is
Relenting, Merciful.

Repentance

* Repentance holds with God only for those who do evil out of ignorance, then
repent shortly after; those God turns to. God is Aware,Wise.

* Repentance is not for those who perform evil deeds until one of them says:
"I have just now repented!", just as death faces him. Nor is it for those who
die while they are disbelievers; for those We reserved painful torment.

Marriage and Divorce

* You who believe, it is not lawful for you to inherit anything from women
against their will; do not hinder them from remarrying so that you may make
off with part of what you have given them, unless they indulge in flagrant
sexual misconduct. Treat them politely; even if you dislike them, perhaps you
dislike something in which God has placed much good. ** If you want to
exchange one wife for another, and have given one of them a large sum of money,
do not hold back any of it. Would you withhold it through slander and open sin?
How can you hold it back when you have had intercourse with each other, and they
have made a solemn agreement with you? * Do not marry any women whom your
fathers have already married, unless this is a thing of the past; it is a
shocking act and disgusting, and the worst possible way.

(IV)*Forbidden to you [in marriage] are your mothers, your [own]
daughters, your sisters, your aunts on your father's side as well as your aunts
on your mother's side, and your brother's and your sister's daughter your foster
mothers and your foster sisters, your mothers-in-law and step daughters who are
under your guardianship [since their mothers are] wives of yours with whom you
have consummated marriage (however if you have not consummated it with them, it
will not be held against you), and the wives of your sons who are your own
flesh-and-blood; nor may you bring two sisters together [under one roof] unless
this is a thing of the past. God is Forgiving, Merciful.

PART FIVE

Marriage (cont'd)

(IV cont'd) * Nor [should you marry] any [already] married women,
except the ones under your control. [Such is] God's legislation as it
applies to you. Anything beyond that is lawful for you, provided you court them
by means of your wealth, marrying them properly, rather than taking them on as
mistresses. Since you have thereby sought enjoyment with them, give them their
marriage portions as is stipulated. Yet it will not be held against you should
you come to other terms about it even after what has been stipulated. God is
Aware, Wise.

** Any of you who cannot afford to marry respectable believing matrons,
should then [seek] one of your believing maids under your control. God is quite
Aware as to what your faith consists of. Each one of you has ties to others, so
marry them off with their family's consent and give them their marriage portions
decently as matrons rather than taking them on as mistresses, nor having [any
secret affairs with] them as girlfriends. Once they are so married off and
should they then commit some sexual offence, they should have half the
punishment that [ordinary] matrons would receive. That goes for any of you who
worries lest he may. not control his (sexual] impulses; however it is better for
you to discipline yourselves. God is Forgiving, Merciful.

(V)* God wants to explain things to you (all) and to guide you in the customs
of those who have preceded you. He turns to you; God is Wise.

Controlling Passion

* God wants to turn to you, while those who follow their own passions
want you to give in utterly. * God wants to lighten things for you,
since man was created weak!

*You who believe, do not use up your wealth idly, [squandering it] on one
another, unless it is for some business based on mutual consent among you. Do
not kill one another; God has been Merciful towards you! ** We shall roast
anyone in a Fire who does so out of enmity and wrongfully. That will be easy for
God [to do]!

* If you will avoid the great [sins] you are forbidden [to commit], We will
cancel out your [other] evil deeds for you, and send you into [Paradise] through
a noble entrance.

*Do not envy the way that God has made some of you excel over others: men
should have a portion of whatever they have earned, while women should
have a portion of whatever they have earned. Ask God for some of His bounty; God
is Aware of everything. * For everyone We have placed executors for whatever
either parents and close relatives may leave. Give their share to those whom you
have sworn to trust; God is a Witness of everything!

A Man's Responsibility

(VI)*Men are the ones who should support women since God has
given some persons advantages over others, and because they should spend their
wealth [on them]. Honorable women are steadfast, guarding the Unseen just as God
has it guarded.

Matrimonial Rifts

Association

Admonish those women whose surliness you fear, and leave them alone in their
beds, and [even] beat them [if necessary]. If they obey you, do not seek any way
[to proceed] against them. God is Sublime, Great. ** If you fear a split between
a man and his wife, send for an arbiter from his family and an arbiter from her
family. If both want to be reconciled, God will arrange things between them. God
is Aware, Informed. * Worship God [Alone] and do not associate anything with
Him.

Kindness and Charity

Show kindness to both [your] parents and with near relatives, orphans, the
needy, the neighbor who is related [to you] as well as the neighbor who is a
stranger, and your companion by your side and the wayfarer, and anyone else
under your control. God does not love someone who is conceited, boastful, * nor
those who are tight-fisted and order [other] people to be stingy, and hide
anything that God has given them out of His bounty. We have reserved humiliating
torment for disbelievers* who spend their wealth to be seen by other people and
yet neither believe in God nor the Last Day. Anyone who has Satan for an
intimate has such an evil soulmate! * What does it matter for them whether they
believe in God and the Last Day and spend something from what God has supplied
them with? God is Aware of them!

** God does not harm anything so much as an atom's weight: if a fine deed
exists, he multiplies it and adds a splendid fee from Himself besides. * How
would it be if We were to bring a witness from every nation, and bring you as a
witness against such people? * On that day those who have disbelieved and defied
the Messenger would like to have the earth leveled off while they are still
[standing] on it! They will not hide anything that happens from God!

Conditions for Prayer

(VII)* You who believe, do not attempt to pray while you are drunk,
untilyou know what you are saying; nor after a seminal emission -
except when traveling along some road-until you take a full bath. If you are ill
or on a journey, or one of you has come from the toilet, or has had contact with
any women, and you do not find any water, then pick up some wholesome
soil and wipe your faces and your hands with it. God is Pardoning, Forgiving.

Jews and Christians

* Have you not watched those who were given a portion of the Book? They buy
up error and want you to lose your Way. ** God is quite Aware as to who your
enemies are; God suffices as a Patron, and God suffices as a Supporter.

* Some persons who are Jews lift words out of their context and say: "We have
heard and disobeyed;" and "Hear without listening" or "Lead us on!", twisting
their tongues around and stabbing at religion as if they had [really] said: "We
have heard and obeyed," and "Hear!" and "Watch over us!", which would be better
for them and more straightforward; however God has cursed them for their
disbelief, since only a few believe. * You who have received the Book, believe
in what We have sent down to you as a confirmation of what you already have,
lest We dazzle your faces and set them on backwards, or curse them just as We
cursed the masters of the Sabbath. God's command must be fulfilled!

Association Again

* God does not forgive anyone for associating something with Him, while He
does forgive whomever He wishes to for anything besides that. Anyone who gives
God associates has invented such an awful offence!

* Have you not seen those who purify themselves? Indeed God will purify
anyone He wishes to, and they will not be harmed one bit. ** Look how they
invent a lie about God! That is enough in itself as a clear offence.

(VIII)* Have you not watched those who were given a portion of the Book? They
believe in witchcraft and arrogant leaders and tell those who disbelieve: "Those
are better guided to a way than are the ones who believe." * Those are the ones
whom God has cursed; anyone God has cursed will never find a supporter for
himself * Or have they any share in control? Why, they will not give a speck to
anybody!

* Or do they envy people because of what God has given them out of His
bounty? We already gave Abraham's family the Book and wisdom, and

We gave them splendid control. ** Some of them believed in it while others of
them blocked it out. Hell will suffice as a blaze! * Those who disbelieve in Our
signs We will roast in a Fire: each time their hides are toasted, We shall
exchange them for some other skins so they may taste the torment [again]. God is
Powerful, Wise. * We will show those who believe and perform honorable actions
into gardens through which rivers flow, to live there for ever; they will have
clean-living spouses there, and We will show them into shady nooks.

Trusts and Ownership

* God orders you to restore deposits entrusted [to you] to their [rightful]
owners. Whenever you judge between people, you should judge with [a sense of]
justice. How superbly God instructs you to do so; God is Alert, Observant!

Obeying Authority

* You who believe, obey God and obey the Messenger and those from among you
who hold command.

If you should quarrel over anything, refer it to God and the Messenger if you
believe in God and the Last Day; that will be better, and finer in the long run.

(IX)**Have you not considered those who claim they believe in what
has been sent down to you and what was sent down before you? They want to seek
judgment from arrogant leaders and so they are ordered to disbelieve in it.
Satan wants to lead them far astray. * Whenever someone tells them: "Come to
what God has sent down, and to the Messenger," you will see hypocrites barring
the way for you. How will it be when some disaster strikes them because of what
their hands have already prepared? Then they will come to you swearing by God:
"We only wanted to have kindness and success!" * Those are the ones whom God
knows what their hearts contain, so shun them and reprove them. Give them a
convincing statement about themselves.

* We have not sent any messenger unless he was to be obeyed in accordance
with God's permission. If they had come to you and sought forgiveness from God
whenever they harmed themselves, and the Messenger had prayed for forgiveness
for them, they would have found that God is Ever-Turning, Merciful.

** Yet by your Lord, they will never believe until they name you to judge
concerning what they are quarreling over among themselves; then they will find
no inconvenience for themselves concerning whatever you have decided, and will
accept it wholeheartedly. * If We had prescribed for them: 'Let yourselves be
killed or expelled from your homes," only a few of them would have done so. If
they had done what they were instructed to do, it would have been better for
them, as well as more stabilizing: * then We would have given them splendid
earnings from Our very presence * and guided them to a Straight Road. * Anyone
who obeys God and the Messenger stands by those whom God has favored, such as
prophets, loyal persons, martyrs and honorable men. How fine are such
companions! ** That means bounty from God; it is enough for God to be Aware.

(X)* You who believe, take your precautions and march off in detachments, or
march off all together. * Among you there are some who procrastinate. If any
disaster strikes you, they say: "God has favored me, for I was not a witness
along with them." * Yet if some bounty from God strikes you, he will say, as if
no affection had existed between you and him: "If only I had been with them, I
should have achieved something splendid!"

Striving for God's Sake

* Let those who barter worldly life for the Hereafter fight for God's sake;
We shall pay a splendid fee to anyone who fights in God's way, and is either
killed or is victorious. ** Why should you not fight for God's sake when men,
women and children who are considered helpless say: "Our Lord, lead us out of
this town whose people are so oppressive, and grant us a patron from Your
presence and grant us a supporter from Your presence!" * Those who believe,
fight in God's way, while those who disbelieve fight in the way of the arrogant
ones; therefore fight Satan's patrons. Satan's plot is weak.

(XI)*Have you not watched those who have been told: "Restrain your
hands, keep up prayer and pay the welfare tax"? Yet whenever any fighting is
prescribed for them, then a group of them feel afraid of people just as they
should be afraid of God, or they are even more afraid. They say: "Our Lord, why
have You prescribed fighting for us? If You would only postpone it for a little
while longer!"

Good and Evil

SAY: "Worldly enjoyment means little while the Hereafter is better for anyone
who does his duty. You will not be wronged a bit. * Wherever you may be, death
shall still overtake you even though you are in well-built towers." Yet if
something fine happens to them, they say: "This is from God;" while if something
bad happens to them, they say: "This is because of you!" SAY: "Everything comes
from God." What is wrong with such folk that they scarcely understand why
anything happens?

* Any good that happens to you comes from God, while anything bad that
happens to you is through yourself.

We have sent you as a Messenger to [instruct] mankind; and God suffices as a
Witness. ** Anyone who obeys the Messenger has obeyed God [Himself], while We
have not sent you to be a taskmaster set up over anyone who turns away.

* They will say: "At your orders!", yet when they show up somewhere else than
with you, a faction of them will spend the night at something quite different
from what you tell [them to do]. God writes down whatever they do at night, so
avoid them and rely on God. God suffices as a Trustee.

The Quran

* Have they not meditated on the Reading? If it had come from some other
source than God, they would have found a great deal of contradiction in it.

Handling Rumors

* Whenever some order concerning [public] safety or fear comes to them, they
broadcast it. If they would only refer it to the Messenger and those among them
who hold command, those of them who investigate matters would have known about
it. If it had not been for God's bounty and mercy towards you, all but a few
would have followed Satan; * so fightfor God's sake, since you are only
held responsible for yourself. Encourage believers; perhaps God will fend off
the violence of those who disbelieve. God is Strongest when things come to
violence and Sternest in punishment.

Etiquette OR Politeness

** Anyone who intercedes in a fine manner shall have a share in it, while
someone who intercedes in an evil way will be held liable for it. God is a
Developer for everything. * Whenever you are welcomed with some greeting, then
answer back with something finer than it, or [at least] return it. God is a
Reckoner for everything.

* God, there is no deity except Him. He will bring you all together
Resurrection Day there is no doubt about it. Who is more reliable than God as a
Narrator?

(XII)* Why should you take both sides concerning hypocrites? God has
discarded them because of what they have earned. Do you want to guide someone
whom God has let go astray? Anyone whom God lets go astray will never find a way
back to Him. * They would love for you disbelieve just as they disbelieve, so
you will be exactly like them.

Do not adopt sponsors from among them until they migrate along God's way. If
they should ever turn against you, then seize them and kill them wherever you
may find them. Do not adopt any sponsor nor supporter from among them, ** except
those who join a folk with who you have a treaty or who come to you because
their breasts shrink from fighting you or fighting with their own people. If God
so wished, He would have given them authority over you so that they would have
fought you. Yet if they keep aloof from you and do not fight you, and they
propose peace to you, God does not grant you any way against them.

Agitators

* You will find others who want to feel safe from you as well as safe from
their own people, yet every time they come upon another chance for dissension,
they plunge into it. If they neither keep aloof from you nor yet propose peace
to you and hold back their hands, then take them and sly them wherever you may
run across them. Over such persons We have given you clear authority.

Manslaughter

(XIII)* No believer should kill any other believer unless it happens by
mistake. Anyone who kills a believer by mistake should free believing captive
and deliver blood-money to his family unless they forego it as an act of
charity. If he was from a nation which is at war with you and yet he was a
believer, then free a believing captive; while if he were from a people with
whom you have a treaty, then it means blood-money should be delivered to his
family and freeing a believing captive. Anyone who does not find the wherewithal
for it should fast for two consecutive months as penance from God. God is Aware,
Wise!

Murder

* Anyone who kills a believer deliberately will receive as his reward [a
sentence] to live in Hell for ever. God will be Angry with him and curse him,
and prepare dreadful torment for him.

* You who believe, whenever you campaign for God's sake, discriminate
carefully and do not tell someone who proffers you a greeting: 'You are no
believer!" You crave the display of worldly life, while God holds many more
prizes. That is what you were like previously, though God has showered His
benefits on you; so discriminate. God is Informed about anything you do.

Public Service

**Those believers who sit around and yet have no physical disability are not
equal to those who strive for God's sake with their property and persons. God
shows preference to those who strive with their property and persons through
[higher] rank, than with those who just sit around; for each, God has promised
handsome things, yet God shows preference to strivers with a better wage over
those who stay at home, * such as [higher] ranks from Him, as well as
forgiveness and mercy. God is Forgiving, Merciful.

(XIV)* Those whom the angels will gather up [and] tell, as they are harming
themselves: "What were you [busy] with?", will say: "We were acting as weaklings
on earth." They will say: 'Is not God's earth so vast you might settle down
elsewhere on it?" Those will have their refuge in Hell, and how evil is such a
goal * except for those men, women and children who are [really] helpless
and cannot find any other means nor a they guided in any way; * those God may
eventually pardon. God is Pardoning, Forgiving.

Refugees

*** Anyone who migrates for God's sake will find many places for asylum and
accommodation on earth. Whoever leaves his home as refugee for God's and His
messenger's sake, then has death overtake him, will receive his earnings as
God's responsibility. God is Forgiving, Merciful.

Prayers During Warfare

(XV)* It will not be held against you when you travel out into the world
should you shorten prayer, if you fear those who disbelieve may harass you.
Disbelievers are open enemies of yours.

* When you are among them, [Muhammad], and have stood up t pray in front of
them, then let a squad of them stand up along with you and hold on to their
weapons. Once they have bowed down on their knees then let them fall back to
your rear, and another squad who have not yet prayed come up to pray along with
you. Let them hold on to [both] their precautions and their weapons. Those who
disbelieve would like to catch you napping with your weapons and your baggage,
so they may overpower you (all) at one stroke.

Nor will it be held against you if you are bothered by rain or are ill should
you lay down your weapons and take [similar] precautions for yourselves. God has
prepared humiliating torment for disbelievers.

Prayer in General

*Once you have finished praying, remember God while standing, sitting and
[lying] on your sides. Even when you are at leisure, still keep up prayer:

Prayer is a timely prescription for believers!

Yet do not flag in pursuit of people: if you have been suffering, then they
are suffering just as keenly as you are suffering; while you expect something
from God that they do not expect. God is Aware, Wise.

(XVI)** We have sent the Book down to you with the Truth so that you may
judge among mankind by means of what God has shown you. Do not act as advocate
for traitors; * seek forgiveness from God: God is Forgiving, Merciful, * Do not
plead for those who betray themselves; God does not love anyone who has been a
vicious traitor.

* They may try to hide from people while they can never hide from God: He
stands alongside them when they spend the night talking about something He does
not approve of; God surrounds anything they do. * There you are, those who have
pleaded in favor of them during worldly life! Who will plead with God about them
on Resurrection Day, will act as an agent for them?

** Anyone who commits evil or harms himself, then seeks forgiveness from God,
will findGod is Forgiving, Merciful; * while anyone who acquires a vice,
only acquires it personally. God is Aware, Wise. * Anyone who commits a blunder
or vice, then casts [the blame] against some innocent person, will burden
himself with slander and flagrant vice.

(XVII)*If God's bounty and mercy had not lain upon you, a faction of
them would have worried about how to lead you astray. They only lead themselves
astray and do not injure you in any way. God has sent the Book and wisdom down
to you and taught you what you did not know; bounty towards you has been
splendid!

* There is no good in much of their intrigue except with someone who calls
for charity, decency or reconciliation among people; We shall give a splendid
wage to anyone who does that in pursuit of God's approval.** Anyone who splits
off from the Messenger once guidance has been explained to him, and follows some
path other than the believers', We shall turn over to whatever he has turned to,
and lead him off to Hell. How evil is such a goal!

Association the Worst Sin

(XVIII)*God does not forgive one's associating [others] with Him; He
forgives anyone He wishes to for anything beyond that. Anyone who associates
[others] with God has strayed far afield. * They only appeal to females instead
of to Him; they only call upon some upstart Satan!

Sata and Pagan Practices

* God cursed him, and he said: "I shall take some of Your servants as a
stipulated portion; * I will lead them astray and urge them on. I will order
them to slit the ears on livestock and order them to alter what God has created.
Anyone who adopts Satan as a patron instead of God has obviously lost out. ** He
promises them [things] and urges them on; yet Satan promises them nothing except
delusion. * Those will have Hell as their refuge and find no escape from it.

Those Who Go to Paradise

* We will show the ones who believe and perform honorable gardens through
which rivers flow, to live there for ever. God's true; who is more reliable in
the way he speaks than God? *There is nothing in your saying 'Amens" nor in the
way the People of the Book say "Amen". Anyone who commits evil will be rewarded
accordingly and not find any patron nor protector for himself besides God. *
Anyone who performs honorable deeds, whether it is a man or a woman, provided he
is a believer, those will enter the Garden and not be speck. ** Who is finer in
religion than someone who peacefully commends his person to God while he acts
kindly and follows the sect of Abraham the Enquirer? God adopted Abraham as a
bosom friend. * God holds whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth; God
embraces everything!

Orphans

(XIX)* They will consult you concerning women. SAY: "God advises you
about them, and what is recited to you from the Book concerning orphan women
whom you have not given what was assigned to them while you are disinclined
to marry them; and minor children, and supporting orphans with [all] fairness.
God is Aware of any good you do.

Marriage Difficulties

* If some woman fears abuse or desertion by her husband, it should not be
held against either of them if they should try to come to terms: coming to terms
is best, while greed is ever present in [our] souls. If you act kindly and do
your duty, God will be Informed about anything you do. You will never manage to
deal equitably with women no matter how eager you may be [to do so]; yet
do not turn completely aside [from one] so you ,leave another in suspense. If
you (all) come to terms and do your duty, God will be Forgiving, Merciful. **
Yet if they should separate, God will enrich each out of His abundance; God is
Boundless, Wise. * God holds whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth.

We have instructed those who were given the Book before you, and you (all) as
well, to heed God. If you should disbelieve, God still owns whatever is in
Heaven and whatever is on Earth. God is Transcendent, Praiseworthy! * God holds
whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth; God suffices as a Trustee: * if
He wished, He might take you people away and bring in others. God is Capable of
that! * Anyone who wants a worldly prize [should know] God holds the worldly
prize plus another in the Hereafter. God is Alert, Observant.

Oaths and Evidence; Courtroom Procedure

(XX)** You who believe, act steadfast before God as witnesses for fairplay
even though it is against yourselves, your own parents and near relatives;
whether it concerns a rich or a poor man, God [stands] closer to them both. Do
not follow any passion so that you may deal justly. If you swerve about or turn
aside, God is still Informed about whatever you do.

Belief Wavering

* You who believe, believe in God and His messenger, and the Book which He
has sent down to His messenger as well as the Book which He had sent down
previously. Anyone who disbelieves in God and His angels, His books, His
messengers and the Last Day will stray far afield. * Those who believe, then
disbelieve, then believe, then [again] disbelieve, then increase in their
disbelief, will have no means for God to forgive them nor to guide them in any
way.

Lackeys OR Yesmen

* Spread word to hypocrites that they shall have painful torment.

* Do those who enlist disbelievers as sponsors instead of believers, seek [to
gain] prestige through them? Prestige rests entirely with God.

** In the Book, He has revealed to you that whenever you hear God's signs
disbelieved in and ridiculed, you should not sit with them until they change to
some other topic. You would be just like them then! God will gather all the
hypocrites and disbelievers into Hell; * such as those who try to catch you off
guard, so if you receive some victory from God, they say: "Were we not with
you?" Yet if disbelievers have any share [in it], they say: "Did we not help you
win, and held off believers from you?" God will judge between you (all) on
Resurrection Day; God will never grant disbelievers any way to [harm] believers.

(XXI)* Hypocrites try to outwit God while He is outwitting them! When ever
they stand up to pray, they stand up lazily to be seen by other people and
seldom mention God, * wavering in between, [leaning] neither towards these nor
those. You will never find any way [to follow] someone whom God lets go astray.

* You who believe, do not enlist disbelievers as sponsors, instead o
believers. Do you want to give God clear authority against you? ** Hypocrites
will stand on the lowest level of the Fire; you will never find an supporter for
them * except for those who repent and reform, cling t God and dedicate their
religion solely to God. Those stand alongside believers, and God will give
believers a splendid wage. * What does God accomplish through your torment,
provided you act grateful and believe? God is Appreciative, Aware.

PART SIX

(XXI cont'd)* God does not love evil talk in public unless it is by some who
has been injured thereby. God is Alert, Aware. * Whether you reveal any good or
hide it, or pardon any evil, God is Pardoning, Capable.

Saints' Worship

** Those who disbelieve in God and His messengers, and want to distinguish
between God and His messengers, and say: 'We believe in some and disbelieve in
others;" wanting to adopt a course in between, * are really disbelievers. We
have reserved humiliating torment for disbelievers. * Those who believe in God
and His messengers, and not single out any one of them [especially], will be
given their earnings. God is Forgiving, Merciful.

(XXII)*The People of the Book ask you to have a book sent down from
Heaven for them. They asked Moses for something even greater than that, and
said: "Show us God directly." The Thunderbolt caught them in wrongdoing.

Then they adopted the Calf even after explanations had come to them. We still
pardoned that, and gave Moses clear authority. * We raised the Mountain up over
them as their charter, and told them: "Enter the while on your knees." We told
them [further]: "Do not go too far on Sabbath," and made a solemn pledge with
them.

Jesus

** Because of their breaking the charter, their disbelief in God's signs
their killing the prophets without any right to do so, and their saying: your
hearts are covered over," instead, God has stamped them with their disbelief.
They only believe a little * because of their disbelief and talking such
terrible slander about Mary * and (also) for their saying: "We killed God's
messenger Christ Jesus, the son of Mary!" They neither killed nor crucified him,
even though it seemed so to them. Those who disagree about it are in doubt
concerning it; they have no [real] knowledge about it except by following
conjecture. No one is certain they killed him! * Rather God lifted him up
towards Himself God is Powerful, Wise!

* There is nobody from the People of the Book but who will believe in him
before his death, while on Resurrection Day he will act as a witness against
them. ** Because of wrongdoing on the part of those who are Jews, We have
forbidden them certain wholesome things which had been permitted them; and
because they blocked off so many people from God's way * and took usury although
they had been forbidden to, and idly consumed other people's wealth, We have
reserved painful torment for those among them who are disbelievers. * Yet those
of them who are versed in knowledge, as well as believers, believe in what is
sent down to you and what has been sent down [to those] before you; and We shall
give a splendid wage to those who keep up prayer and pay the welfare tax, and
who believe in God and the Last Day.

Other Prophets

(XXIII)*We have inspired you just as We inspired Noah and the
prophets following him, and as We inspired Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and
the patriarchs, and Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron and Solomon; and just as We gave
David the Psalms.

* We have told you about some messengers [sent] previously, while other
messengers We have not yet told you about-God spoke directly to Moses- **
messengers bringing good news plus a warning so that mankind would have no
argument against God once the messengers [had come]. God is Powerful, Wise.

* Nevertheless God bears witness through what He has sent down to you; He
sent it down with His (own full) knowledge. And angels so testify, though God
suffices as a Witness. * Those who disbelieve and obstruct God's way have
strayed far afield. * Those who disbelieve and act wrongfully will not find that
God will forgive them nor guide them along any road * except the road to Hell,
to remain there for ever. That will be so easy for God [to do]! ** 0 mankind,
the Messenger has brought you the Truth from your Lord, so believe, since it is
best for you. If you should disbelieve, God still holds whatever is in Heaven
and Earth; God is Aware, Wise.

Jesus Again

* People of the Book, do not exaggerate in [practising] your religion and
tell nothing except the Truth about God. Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, was
merely God's messenger and His word which He cast into Mary, and a spirit
[proceeding] from Him.

The Trinity

Believe in God [Alone] and His messengers, and do not say:'Three!"
Stopping [it] will be better for you. God is only One God; glory be to Him,
beyond His having any son! He owns whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on
Earth; God suffices as a Trustee, (XXIV)* The Messiah would never disdain to be
God's servant, nor would the angels who are closest. He will summon anyone to
Him who disdains to worship Him and acts too proud [for it]. * As for those who
believe and perform honorable deeds, He will pay them their earnings and ad even
more for them out of His bounty. He will punish those who a scornful and proud
with painful torment; they will not findany sponsor themselves nor any
supporter besides God. * Mankind, proof has come to you from your Lord; We have
sent a clear Light down to you. ** He will show those who believe in God and
cling to Him, into mercy and bounty from Himself, and guide them along a
Straight Road towards Himself

Inheritance

* They will ask you for your verdict. SAY: "God advises you (all) concerning
indirect heirs. If some man should pass away and has no so while he leaves a
sister, then she shall have half of anything he may leave while he inherits from
her if she has no child. If they are two women [who are sisters], they shall
both have two thirds of whatever he may leave. If they are siblings, both men
and women.. then each brother shall have the same share as two sisters
would have.

God explains things to you

lest you go astray.

God is (all) Aware of everything!

5. The Table

THIS CHAPTER of 120 verses arranged in sixteen sections was revealed at
Madina (except for V. 3, which was announced after the stay a Arafat during the
Farewell Pilgrimage in the 10th year of the Hijra, or March 632 A.D.). The
chapter comes after [Divine] Support 110and before
Dispensation 9 in the sequence of revelation. It is called The Table
fro section XV towards the end, where Jesus' disciples asked for the rule
governing food, and he was challenged to have a table sent down from Heaven.

The chapter starts out like The House of lmran 3, with important
statements on Islam as a religion, so as to consolidate the nascent Islam
community. This begins by considering behavior during Pilgrimage (I), subject
which is resumed in xiii. Food, marriage (I),and washing before
prayer (II)come next; also oaths, liquor and gambling (XII).Good
and evil (XIII) are moral issues which are likewise discussed. Judicial
procedure is recorded (VI) while Mosaic law is mentioned in VII.Adam's
sons Cain and Abel were participants in the first murder (V), although they are
not name in the Quran. Theft (VI) and wills (XIV) are other matters
discussed.

Christians are addressed and we are told that Christ is not God (III).Jesus himself is discussed in vii;as well as Christians, the trinity
and the figure of Christ again in X. The Jews are mentioned in XI,but we
are advised that Christians are closer than they are to Islam. Jesus' miracles
are described in XV, and we are informed how Jesus himself rejected Godhood at
the end of section XVI, which closes the chapter.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

Conduct and Food During Pilgrimage

(I)* You who believe, fulfil any contracts [you may make].

Any animals from livestock are permitted you except for what has already been
listed for you. What is not permitted you is game while you are in pilgrim
dress. God judges anything He wishes. * You who believe, do not profane God's
monuments nor the hallowed month, nor the offerings and [beasts with] garlands,
nor those intent on visiting the Hallowed House to seek bounty and approval from
their Lord. Once you are permitted to [go on your way], then go hunting. Do not
let ill will towards any folk incriminate you, just because they blocked your
way to the Hallowed Mosque, so that you act aggressive; cooperate with one
another for virtue and heedfulness, and do not cooperate with one another for
the purpose of vice and aggression. Heed God [Alone]; God is Strict with
punishment!

* Forbidden to you is anything that dies by itself, and blood and pork, as
well as whatever has been consecrated to something besides God, and whatever has
been strangled, beaten to death, trapped in a pit, gored, and what some beast of
prey has begun to eat, unless you give it the final blow; and what has been
slaughtered before some idol, or what you divide up in a raffle; (all) that is
immoral!

Today those who disbelieve despair about your religion, so do no dread them,
and (rather) dread Me.

(Today I have perfected your religion for you, and completed My favor
towards you, and have consented to grant you [Islam] as a religion: a commitment
to live in peace.)

Food Again

Anyone who is obliged to do so while (he is) starving, yet without
deliberately sinning, [will find] God is Forgiving, Merciful.

* They will ask you what has been made allowable for them. SAY: "It is lawful
for you [to eat] wholesome things, and what you have trained beast and birds of
prey to catch-you have trained them to do something just God has taught you. So
eat anything they may catch for you, and mention God's name over it. Heed God;
God is Swift in reckoning, ** Today wholesome things are [made] lawful for you,
and so is the food of those who were given the Book lawful for you, while your
food is lawful them.

Marriage

And believing matrons [are lawful to marry] as well as matrons from among
those who were given the Book before you, once you have give them their
marriage- portions and taken them in wedlock respectably, not seeking any
thrills nor taking [them on as] mistresses. Anyone who rejects faith [will find]
his action will miscarry, while he will be one who will lose out in the
Hereafter.

Washing Before Prayer

(II)* You who believe, whenever you intend to pray, wash your faces your
hands up to the elbows, and wipe off your heads and [wash] your up to the
ankles. If you are [ritually] soiled, then take a full bath. If you are ill or
on a journey, or one of you has just come from the toilet or had contact with
any women, and you do not find any water, then resort to wholesome soil and wipe
your faces and hands off with some of it. God does not want to place any
inconvenience on you, but He does want to purify you and to complete His favor
towards you, in order that you (all) may act grateful.

* Remember God's favor towards you and His charter which He ratified for you
when you said: "We hear and obey." Heed God; God is Aware of whatever is on your
minds."

* You who believe, act steadfast towards God, as witnesses for fairplay, and
do not let ill-will toward any folk incriminate you so that you swerve from
dealing justly. Be just: that is nearest to heedfulness; and heed God
[Alone]. God is Informed about anything you do. God has promised those who
believe and perform honorable deeds that they will have forgiveness plus a
splendid wage. ** Those who disbelieve, and refute Our signs, will become
inmates of Hades. * You who believe, remember God's favor towards you when some
folk intended to stretch their hands out toward you, and He fended their hands
off from you. Heed God, and let believers rely on God.

The Children of Israel

(III)* God made a covenant with the Children of Israel, and We dispatched
twelve of them as captains. God said: "I shall be with you if you will keep up
prayer and pay the welfare tax, and believe in My messengers and respect them,
and advance God a handsome loan. I shall overlook your evil deeds for you and
show you into gardens through which rivers flow. Anyone of you who disbelieves
following that will have strayed from the Level Path."

* Since they broke their covenant, We have cursed them and planted a hard
shell over their hearts. They lift words out of their context and have forgotten
a portion of what they should have memorized. Except for a few of them, you will
always catch some of them committing some act of treachery. Yet pardon them and
overlook it; God loves those who act kindly.

Christians

* We accepted their agreement from those who say: "We are Christians;" then
they forgot a portion of what they had been reminded of, so We have stirred up
enmity and jealousy among them until Resurrection Day. God will notify them
about whatever they have been accomplishing. ** People of the Book, Our
messenger has come to you to explain much of what you have been concealing out
of the Book, and to dispense with much of it. Light and a Clear Book have been
brought to you from God. * God thereby guides anyone who seeks His approval
along pathways of peace; He leads them out of darkness into Light by His
permission, and guides them along a Straight Road.

Christ is not God

* Those who say: "God is Christ, the son of Mary," disbelieve.

SAY:"Who would control anything from God if He ever wanted to do away with
Christ, the son of Mary and his mother, plus everyone on earth? God holds
control over Heaven and Earth, as well as anything in be them. He creates
anything He wishes. God is Capable of everything!

* Jews and Christians say: 'We are God's children and His favorites." SAY:
"Then why does He punish you for your offences?" Rather you are human beings
just like anyone else He has created. He forgives anyone He wishes and punishes
anyone He wishes. God holds control over Heaven and Earth, and whatever lies
between them. Towards Him lies the goals!" People of the Book, Our messenger has
come to explain [things] you after an interval between the messengers, lest you
say: 'No herald nor any warner has ever come to us." A herald and a warner has
indeed come to you! God is Capable of everything!

(IV)** So Moses told his people: "My people, remember God's favor towards you
when He planted prophets among you and set you up as kings; and gave you what no
one else in the Universe had ever been given. * My people, enter the Holy Land
which God has assigned to you; do not turn your backs on it, lest you be sent
away as losers.

* They said: "Moses, there is a heavy-handed folk in it. We will never enter
it until they leave. If they should leave it, then we will enter." * Two men
from among those who fear-God favored them both-said: "Walk right in through the
gate on them. Once you have entered it, you will be victorious. You should rely
on God if you are believers." * They said: "Moses, we will never enter it at all
so long as they remain in it! You go off and fight,both you and your
Lord; we will be sitting around here.

** He said: 'My Lord, I control only myself and my brother. Distinguish
between us and such perverse folk!" * He said: "It will proscribed them for
forty years. They will wander around the earth, so do not worry about such
perverse people.

Murder (Cain and Able)

(V)* Recite information to them about the Truth concerning Adam's two sons.
When they both presented an offering, it was accepted from one of them and not
accepted from the other. He said: "I'll kill you!" [The former] said: "God only
accepts [things] from the heedful. * Even if you stretch forth your hand towards
me in order to kill me,I'll never stretch out hand towards you to kill
you. I fear God, Lord of the Universe! * I want you to atone for my sin as well
as for your own sin; you will become inmate of the Fire. That is the wrongdoers'
reward."

** His own self urged him on to kill his brother, so he killed him, and one
morning he turned out to be a loser. * God sent a raven to scratch the earth in
order to show him how to dispose of his brother's corpse, He said: "It's too bad
for me! Have I failed to be like this raven and dispose of my brother's corpse?"
So one morning he felt full of remorse.

Handling Sedition

* On account of that, We prescribed with the Children of Israel that anyone
who kills any person without another soul being involved or causing mischief in
the land, acts as if he had killed all mankind. Anyone who spares life acts as
if he had granted life to all mankind. Our messengers have brought them
explanations; then later on many of the committed excesses on earth.

* The penalty for those who wage war on God and His messenger, and spread
havoc through the land, is to be slaughtered or crucified, or have their hands
and feet cut off on opposite sides, or to be banished from the land. That will
mean their disgrace in this world, while they will have serious torment in the
Hereafter, * except for those who come to term before you overpower them. Know
that God is Forgiving, Merciful.

(VI)** You who believe, heed God and aspire for contact with him; strive for
His sake so that you may prosper. * Even if those who disbelieve owned whatever
is on earth plus its like besides, in order to redeem themselves from torment by
means of it on Resurrection Day, it would not be accepted from them; they will
have painful torment. * They may want to leave the Fire, yet they will not leave
it; theirs will be constant torment.

Thief

* A thief, whether a man or a woman, shall have his or her hands cut off as a
penalty for whatever he or she has earned, as an example set by God. God is
Powerful, Wise. * God will relent towards anyone who repents following his
wrongdoing, and reforms; God is Forgiving, Merciful. ** Do you not know that God
holds control over Heaven and Earth? He punishes anyone He wants to and forgives
anyone He wants. God is Capable of everything!

Consolation with Intrigue

* 0 Messenger, do not let those who rush off into disbelief worry you, such
as those who say: "We believe" with their mouths, while their hearts do not
believe. Some of those are Jews who are listening for [the sake of] lying,
listening for other folk who do not come to you. They lift words out of their
context, saying: "If you are given this, then take it; while if you are not
given it, then watch out!" God will never let you control someone whom God wants
to test in any way; those are the ones whose hearts God does not want to purify.
They will have disgrace in this world, while in the Hereafter they will have
terrible punishment, * as listeners to lying, living off graft.

Judicial Procedure

If they should come to you, then judge between them or else put them off. If
you put them off, they will never harm you in any way, while if you judge among
them, then judge fairly. God loves those who deal fairly. * How can they
choose you as a judge when they have the Torah, which contains God's judgment?
Yet even then they will turn away, and such persons are not believers.

(VII)*We have sent down the Torah containing guidance and Light. The
prophets who were committed to [live in] peace judge those who were Jews by
means of it, and [so do] the rabbis and scholars, because of what they sought to
observe from God's book. They have even acted as witnesses for it.

So do not dread mankind, and dread Me; do not buy up My signs for a paltry
price. Those who do not judge by what God has sent downdisbelievers!

Mosaic Law

** There We prescribed for them a life for a life, an
eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and
wounds should have [similar] compensation. Yet anyone who treats it as charity,
[will find] it serves as an atonement for him. Those who do not judgeby what God has sent down are wrongdoers!

Jesus' Role

* We had Jesus, the son of Mary, follow in their footsteps in order to
confirm what had come before him from the Torah and We gave him the Gospel which
contains guidance and Light, to confirm what he already had in the Old
Testament, and as guidance and a lesson for those who do their duty. * Let the
people of the Gospel judge by what God has sent down in it; Those who do not
judge by what God hassent down are perverse!

* We have sent you down the Book with the Truth, to confirm what was already
there from the [previous] Book, and to safeguard it. Judge among them according
to whatever God has sent down, and do not follow their whims concerning any
Truth that has been given to you.

The Diversity of Human Life

* We have given each of you a code of law plus a program [for action]. If God
had wished, He might have made you into one community, compete rather in doing
good deeds so He may test you by means of what He has given you. To God is your
return entirely, and He will notify you concerning anything you have been
disagreeing about.

* So judge among them according to what God has sent down, and do not follow
their whims. Beware of them lest they seduce you away from what God has sent
down to you. If they should turn away, then know that God only wants to afflict
them with some of their own offences; many men are so immoral! ** Do they crave
judgment [from the time] of Ignorance? Yet who is finer in judgment than God for
any folk who are convinced?

(VIII)* You who believe, do not accept Jews or Christians as sponsors; some
of them act as sponsors for one another. Any of you who makes friends with them
becomes one of them. God does not guide such wrongdoing folk. * You will see
those in whose hearts there lurks malice dashing in among them saying: "We dread
lest a turn of fortune strike us!" Perhaps God will bring some victory or
command from Himself, so some morning they will awaken regretful about what they
have concealed within themselves.

* Those who believe will say: "Are these
the ones who swore by God with their most solemn oaths that they stood alongside
you?" Their works have failed and they have turned out to be losers. * You who
believe, any one of you who abandons his religion [will find] God will bring a
people whom He will love just as they love Him, docile towards believers, stern
against disbelievers; they will strive for God's sake and not fear reproach from
any critic. Such is God's bounty which He gives to anyone He wishes. God is
Boundless, Aware.

** Your Patron is God [Alone], as well as His messenger and those who
believe-who keep up prayer, pay the welfare tax and bow their heads [in
worship]. * Anyone who enlists God as a patron, and His messenger and those who
believe, [will find] God's side will be victorious!

(IX)*You who believe, do not accept as sponsors those from among the
ones who were given the Book before you nor any disbelievers, if they treat your
religion as a joke and a sport. Heed God if you are believers. Whenever you call
[people] to prayer, they take it as a joke and a sport. That is because they are
folk who do not use their reason. * SAY: "People of the Book, do you persecute
us just because we believe in God and what has been sent down to us, and what
was sent down previously? Most of you are perverse!"

** SAY: "Shall I announce to you something worse than this as a recompense
from God?"' Those whom God has cursed and become angry at, and made them into
monkeys and swine, and who serve the arrogant ones, are in a worse plight and
even further astray from the Level Path. * When they come to you, they say: "We
believe," while they have entered with disbelief and they leave with it. God is
quite Aware as to what they have been hiding. * You will see many of them
plunging into vice and hostility, and living off graft. What they have been
doing is so wretched! * If their rabbis and scholars had only forbidden them
from speaking sinfully and living off graft! How wretched is what they have been
producing.

War

* The Jews say: "God's hand is shackled." May their own hands be shackled and
themselves cursed because of what they have said! Rather both His hands are
outstretched; He dispenses [things] just as He wishes. Anything sent down to you
from your Lord increases many of them in arrogation and disbelief. We have
tossed hostility and hatred between them until Resurrection Day. Every time
they kindle a fire for war, God snuffs itout. They rush around the
earth creating havoc. God does not love those who create havoc. ** If the People
of the Book would only believe and do their duty, We would overlook their evil
deeds for them and show them into gardens full of Bliss. * If they had only kept
up the Torah and the Gospel, and whatever was sent down to them by their Lord,
they would have eaten anything above them and from beneath their feet. Some of
them form a moderate community, while many of them act badly in anything they
do.

(X)* 0 Messenger, deliver whatever has been sent down to you by your Lord. If
you do not do so, you will not have conveyed His message. God will defend you
from mankind: God does not guide disbelieving folk. * SAY: 'People of the Book,
you will not make any point until you keep up the Torah and the Gospel, as well
as anything that has been sent down to you by your Lord." What has been sent
down to you by your Lord increases many of them in arrogation and disbelief, yet
do not despair about disbelieving folk.

Other Believers

* Those who believe and those who are Jews, Sabeans and Christians- anyone
who believes in God and the Last Day, and acts honorably, should have no fear
nor will they be saddened. ** We made an agreement with the Children of Israel
and sent them messengers. Every time a messenger would come to them with what
they themselves did not fancy, one group they accused of lying while another
group they killed. * They reckoned theme would be no testing, so they acted
blind and deaf. Then God relented toward them; still many of them acted blind
and deaf. Yet God is Observant of whatever they do.

Christians

* Those who say that God is Christ the son of Mary have disbelieved. Christ
[himself] said: "Children of Israel, worship God [Alone, Who is] my Lord as well
as your Lord." God will ban the Garden for anyone who associates anything else
with God; his lodging will be the Fire. Wrongdoers will have no supporters.

The Trinity

* Those who say: 'God is the third of three," have disbelieved! There is no
deity except God Alone. If they do not stop saying what they say, painful
torment will afflict those among them who disbelieve. * Why do they not turn
towards God and seek His forgiveness? God is Forgiving, Merciful.

Christ

** Christ the son of Mary was only a messenger; messengers have passed away
before him. His mother was sincere. They both ate food.

Look how We explain signs to them; then look [again] how they shrug them off!
* SAY: "Do you worship something instead of God that does not control any harm
nor any advantage for you while God is Alert, Aware?" * SAY: "People of the
Book, do not exaggerate in your religion beyond the Truth, nor follow the whims
of a folk who have already gone astray and misled many as they stray from the
Level Path.

Jesus Again

(XI)* Those Children of Israel who disbelieved were
cursed by the tongue of David and Jesus, the son of Mary. That was because they
disobeyed and had acted defiantly. * They did not refrain from the debauchery
they were indulging in; how awful is what they had been doing! ** You will see
many of them making friends with those who disbelieve. How wretched is what
their souls have sent on ahead for them, since God is exasperated with them and
they will live in torment for ever. * If they had believed in God and the
Prophet, and what was sent down to him, they would not have adopted them as
patrons; but so many of them are perverse.

Christians are Closer To Islam

* You will find the most violently hostile people towards those who believe
are the Jews and those who associate [others with God]; while you will find the
most affectionate of them towards those who believe, are those who say: "We are
Christians." That is because some of them are priests and monks; they do not
behave so proudly.

PART SEVEN

Christians (cont'd)

(XI cont'd.) * When they listen to what has been sent down to the Messenger,
you will see their eyes well up with tears because of the Truth they recognize.
They say: "Our Lord, we believe, so enroll us among the witnesses! * Why should
we not believe in God and any Truth that has come to us? We yearn for our Lord
to admit us along with honorable folk."

** God will compensate them with gardens through which rivers flow to live in
for ever because of what they have said. Such will be the reward of those who
act kindly, * while those who disbelieve and reject Our signs will become the
inmates of Hades!

Food

(XII)* You who believe, do not forbid any wholesome things
which God has permitted you, nor exceed the limits. God does not love the
defiant. Eat any lawful, wholesome thing which God has provided you with. Heed
God in Whom you are believers.

Oaths (Prejury)

* God will not take you to task for what you may rattle off in your oaths,
but He does take you to task for anything you have sworn to solemnly [and then
ignored]. Exoneration for it means feeding ten paupers with the average of what
you would feed your own families, or clothing them, or freeing a captive.
Whoever does not find the wherewithal [to do so], should fast for three days.
This is what penance involves in order to free yourselves from any oath you have
sworn [loosely]. Keep your word; thus God explains His signs to you, so you may
act grateful.

Liquor and Gambling

** You who believe, liquor and gambling, idols and raffles, are only the
filthy work of Satan; turn aside from it so that you may prosper.

* Satan only wants to stir up enmity and jealousy among you by means of
liquor and gambling, and to hinder you from remembering God and from praying. So
will you stop?

* Obey God and obey the Messenger, and be on your guard. If you should ever
turn away, know that Our messenger need only state thing clearly. * It will not
be held against those who believe and perform honorable deeds for what they may
have fed on while they did not do their duty, since they did believe and
performed honorable deeds. So do you duty and believe-and then again, do your
duty and act kindly: God loves those who act kindly!

Pilgrimage

(XIII)*You who believe, God will test you by means of some of the
game which your hands and spears have caught, so that God may know who fears Him
even though [He is] Unseen. Anyone who acts defiant later on, will have painful
torment. ** You who believe, do not kill any game while you are forbidden [this
while on Pilgrimage]. Anyone of you who kills some deliberately may make
compensation through the same [type of animal] as he has killed, in livestock,
with two fair-minded men from among you judging it, which should be sent as an
offering to reach the Kaba; or else exoneration may mean feeding paupers or the
equivalent of that in fasting, so that he may taste the effect of his action.
God pardons whatever is a thing of the past. God will avenge Himself on anyone
who does so over again; God is Powerful, the Wielder of Retribution.

Seafood

* Game from the sea is lawful for you; eating it means provision for you as
well as for travellers. Game from land is forbidden you so long as you are under
taboo [on Pilgrimage]. Heed God, before Whom you will be summoned.

* God has placed the Kaba as the Hallowed House to be maintained for mankind,
as well as the Hallowed Month and the offerings and garlands; that is so you may
know that God knows whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth, and that God
is Aware of everything. * Know that God is Stern in punishment and (also) that
God is Forgiving Merciful. * The Messenger has only to proclaim matters; while
God knows whatever you show and whatever you hide.

Good and Evil

*** SAY: "Evil and good are not equal, even though the abundance of
evil may fascinate you; so heed God, you prudent persons, so that you may
prosper!"

How to Believe

(XIV)* You who believe, do not ask about such things as would worry you if
they were shown to you. Yet if you should ask about them while the Quran is
being sent down, they will be explained to you. God pardons it, for God is
Forgiving, Lenient. * A folk before you asked about them; then became
disbelievers because of it.

Pagan Practices

* God has not set up [especially] any slit-eared camel, nor is any
[livestock] to be turned loose [to pasture freely], nor any twin-bearing goat or
ewe nor any pensioned stallion, but rather those who disbelieve make up a lie
about God. Most of them do not use their reason. * Whenever they are told: "Come
to what God has sent down, and to [hear] the Messenger," they say: 'We are
satisfied with what we found our forefathers doing;" even though their
forefathers did not know anything and were not guided!

Personal Responsibility

** You who believe, your souls are in your own care. No one who goes astray
will harm you, provided you are guided. Toward God will you all return together,
and He will notify you about whatever you have doing.

Wills

* You who believe, testimony should be taken by you whenever death appears
for one of you; at the time for drawing up any will, two of you who are
fair-minded, or two others besides yourselves if you are travelling around the
earth and the calamity of death should strike you. Detain them both after prayer
so they may swear by God if you (all) have any doubts "We will not sell it for
any price, not even to a near relative, nor will we hide God's testimony:
otherwise we would be sinners!" * If it turns out that either of them has been
accused of any sin, then let two others than the first two from among those who
deserve to be [executors] stand up in their stead. Let them both swear by God:
"Our testimony is more valid than the testimony by either of them; we have never
defied [God] for then we would be wrongdoers!" * That is more appropriate
for you in order to secure testimony at its face value, or for them to fear you
may check back by means of [fresh] oaths following their own oaths [now]. Heed
God and listen; God does not guide immoral folk.

Jesus' Miracles

(XV) * Some day God will assemble [His] messengers and say: "What response
have you received?" They will say: "We possess no knowledge; You are the Knower
of Unseen things!" ** So God will say: 'Jesus, son of Mary, remember My favor
towards you and towards your mother when I assisted you with the Holy Spirit.
You spoke to people from the cradle and as an adult when I taught you the Book
and wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel. So you created something out of clay
looking like a bird with my permission; you breathed into it, and by My
permission it became a bird! You cured anyone born blind, and the leper with My
permission. So you brought forth the dead by My permission, and I fended off the
Children of Israel from you, when you brought them explanations, so those among
them who disbelieved said: 'This is sheer magic!'

* "When I inspired the disciples to believe in Me and in My messenger, they
said: 'We believe, so take witness that we are Muslims.' * When the disciples
said: 'Jesus, son of Mary, can your Lord send a Table down from Heaven
for us?, he said: 'Heed God if you are believers!' * They said: 'We want to eat
from it, and for our hearts to feet at rest, and so we know that you have told
us the Truth, and that we should be witnesses for it.' * Jesus the son of Mary
said: 'O God our Lord, send us down a Table from Heaven so it may be a
recurring feast for us, for both the first of us and the last of us, and as a
sign from You! Provide for us, since you are the best Provider.' ** God said: 'I
shall send it down to you. Any of you who disbelieves afterward, I shall punish
with such torment as I have never punished anyone in the Universe!"'

Jesus Himself Rejects Godhood

(XVI)* When God said: 'Jesus, son of Mary, have you told people: "Take me and
my mother as two gods instead of God [Alone]?';" he said: "Glory be to You! It
is not my place to say what I have no right to [say]. If I had said it, You
would have known it already: You know what is on my mind, while I do not know
anything that is on Yours. You are the Knower of Unseen things. * I have never
told them anything except what You have ordered me to: 'Worship God as my Lord
and your Lord.' I was a witness for them so long as I was among them. When You
have gathered me up, You became the Watcher over them; You are a Witness for
everything. * If you should punish them, they are still Your servants; while if
You should forgive them, surely You are Powerful, Wise."

* God said: "This is a day when their truthfulness will benefit the truthful:
they shall have gardens through which rivers flow, to live in ever and ever."
God approves of them, while they are pleased with Him; that will be the supreme
Achievement. God holds control over Heaven and Earth, as well as whatever lies
within them. He is capable of everything!

6. Livestock

THIS CHAPTER contains 165 late Meccan verses arranged in twenty sections.
Verses 60, 63, 91, 114, 141 and 151-153 however all date from Madina. The
chapter was revealed after Stoneland 15 and before (Drawn Up In)Ranks 37. Livestock here comprises first of all camels, then bovine
cattle, sheep and goats which are all mentioned in sections XVI & XVII as
having been dedicated to other deities than God Alone; consequently their
presence in sacrifice did not help advance the cause of true religion.

The beginning sections and xvi deal with the sin of associating other things
in our worship of God Alone. The chapter contains several lyric descriptions of
the Deity, such as "Keys to the Unseen" (VII). Two important statements are made
on the subject of tolerance in vi and xiii. What might be called an Islamic
decalogue or Ten Commandments, and God's Straight Road are found in XIX. The
final section (XX) is with pregnant meaning.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I)* Praise be to God, Who created Heaven and Earth and granted darkness and
light! Yet those who disbelieve make other things equal to their Lord. * He is
the One Who has created you (all) from clay; then fixed a term. A deadline has
been set by Him, yet you go on doubting! * He is God in (both) Heaven and Earth.
He knows your secrets and anything you publish; He knows whatever you earn.

* Not one of their Lord's signs ever reaches them except they shun it. **
They have rejected Truth whenever it came to them, yet (more) news will reach
them concerning what they have been making fun of. * Have they not seen how many
generations We wiped out whom we had established on earth before them in a way
We did not establish you? We sent [water down from] the sky upon them in
torrents and let rivers flow beneath them; and yet We wiped them out because of
their offences and raised up other generations to succeed them.

* Even though We sent you down something written on a papyrus scroll so they
might touch it with their own hands, those who would still say: "This is just
sheer magic!' * They say: "If an angel only sent down to him!" Yet if We were to
send an angel down, the matter would be settled; then they would no longer be
allowed to wait. We made him into an angel, We would have made him a man a
swell, to confuse them just as they confuse themselves. ** Messengers have been
scoffed at before you, till whatever they were ridiculing swept in around those
who had been doing the scoffing.

(II)* SAY: "Travel around the earth and see what the outcome was for those
who denied [it all]."

* SAY: "Who owns whatever is in Heaven and Earth?" SAY: "God does. He has
prescribed mercy for Himself so He may gather you in on Resurrection Day,
concerning which there is no doubt. Yet those who have lost their souls will
never believe. * He has anything that rests at night and by daylight. He is the
Alert, Aware." * SAY: "Shall I adopt someone as a patron besides God, the
Deviser of the Heavens and Earth? He feeds [everybody], yet is not fed!" SAY: "I
have been ordered to be the first who has committed himself to (live at) peace.
Do not be an associator!"

** SAY: "I fear the torment of an awful day if I should disobey my Lord." *
He will show mercy to anyone who is spared on that day: that will be the clear
Triumph. * If God should let any harm touch you, no one would remove it except
He Himself; while if He should let some good touch you, well He is Capable of
everything. * He is the Irrresistible, [High] above His servants. He is the
Wise, the Informed.

God is One

* SAY: "What thing is most important as evidence?" SAY: "God is a Witness for
both me and you. This Reading has been revealed to me so that I may warn you
(all) by means of it, as well as anyone it may reach. Do you testify that there
are other gods along with God?" SAY: "I will not swear so!" SAY: "He is God
Alone, while I am innocent of whatever you associate [with Him]." ** Those whom
We have given the Book know Him just as they recognize their own sons; [yet]
those who have lost their souls will never believe.

Association is Wrong

(III)* Who is worse off than someone who invents a lie about God or has
rejected His signs? Wrongdoers will never prosper. * Some day We will summon
them all together, then tell those who have associated [others with Us]: 'Where
are your associates which you have been claiming [to have]?" * Then there will
be no test for them unless they say: "By God our Lord, we have not been
associators!" * See how they lie even about themselves! Whatever they have
invented has misled them.

** Some of them listen to you even though We have placed wrappings over their
hearts and dullness in their ears lest they should understand it. Even if they
saw every sign, they still would not believe in them; so whenever they come to
you, they argue with you. Those who disbelieve say: 'These are only legends by
primitive people." * They try to refute it and remain aloof from it; yet they
only destroy their own souls while they do not even notice it! * If you could
see when they are set before the Fire and say: "Alas, if we might only be sent
back and had not rejected our Lord's signs, and we had been believers!"

* Rather what they had been hiding previously has appeared to them; even
though they were sent back, they would still return to what they have been
forbidden. They are such liars! * They say: "Only our worldly life exists; we
will not be raised up again." ** If you could only see as they are made to stand
before their Lord! He will say: "Isn't this real?" They will say: "Of course, by
our Lord!" He will say: "Taste torment, since you have been disbelieving!"

(IV)* Those who deny [they will have] any meeting with God have already lost
out, so that when the Hour comes suddenly upon them, they will say: 'Have pity
on us for how we neglected it!" They will carry their burdens on their own
backs. Is not whatever they bear something evil?

* What does worldly life mean except some sport and amusement? The future
Home is better for those who do their duty. Will you (all) not use your reason?
* We well know how anything they say saddens you. Yet they are not rejecting
merely you, but wrongdoers even repudiate God's signs. * Messengers before you
have been rejected, yet they held firm on being rejected and abused, until Our
support came to them. There is no way tochange God's words! News
from (other) emissaries has already come to you. ** If their reluctance bears so
heavily upon you, then how would it be if you managed to bore a tunnel through
the earth or to climb a ladder up to Heaven, and brought a sign to them? If God
so wished, He would gather them together for guidance; so do not act so ignorant
as well. Only those who listen will respond, plus the dead whom God will raise;
then unto Him will they return,

* They say: "If a sign were only sent down to him by his Lord!" SAY: "God is
Able to send down a sign, even though most of them will not know it." * There is
no animal [walking] on earth nor any bird flying on its wings unless they exist
as communities like yourselves. We have not neglected anything in the Book; then
to their Lord will they be summoned. * Those who reject Our signs are deaf and
dumb, [groping along] in darkness. God lets anyone He wishes go astray, while He
sets anyone He wishes upon a Straight Road.

** SAY: 'Have you considered whether, once God's torment comes to you (all)
or the Hour comes to you, you will appeal to someone instead of God if you are
so truthful?" * Rather it is to Him you will appeal and if He wishes, He will
remove whatever you have appealed to Him about, and you will forget what you
have associated [with Him].

(V)* We sent [word] to nations before you and seized them with suffering and
hardship so that they might act submissively. * Why then did they not act
submissive when Our violence came to them, but instead their hearts were
hardened and Satan made whatever they were doing seem attractive to them? * So
once they forgot what they had been reminded of, We opened up the doors to
everything for them until just when they were happiest with what they had been
given, We caught them suddenly and there they were confounded! ** The last
remnant of the folk who had been doing wrong was cut off. Praise be to God, Lord
of the Universe!

* SAY: "Have you (all) considered whether, if God should snatch away your
hearing and your eyesight, and sealed off your hearts, who is the god besides
God [Himself] who can give them back to you?" Watch how We deal out signs, yet
they still keep aloof * SAY: "Have you yourselves considered whether, if God's
torment should come to you suddenly or openly, any except wrong-doing folk would
be wiped out?" * We do not send any emissaries except as newsbearers and
warners. Anyone who believes and reforms should have no fear nor will they be
saddened, *while punishment will alight on those who reject Our signs because
how of immoral they have been.

** SAY: "I do not say God's treasures lie with me nor do I know the Unseen,
nor do I even tell you I am an angel. I merely follow what has been inspired in
me." SAY: "Are the blind and the sighted man equal? Will you not think such
matters over?"

(VI)* Warn those who fear that they will be summoned to their Lord concerning
it: they will have no patron nor any intercessor besides Him- so that they may
do their duty.

Tolerance

* Do not drive away those who appeal to their Lord, wanting His presence in
the early morning and the evening. You have nothing to do with their reckoning,
while they have nothing to do with your reckoning. Should you drive them off,
you would be a wrongdoer.

*Even so do We try some of them by means of others, so they may say: "Are
those the ones among us towards whom God has been gracious? Is God not quite
Aware as to who are grateful?"

Good Manners

* Whenever those who believe in Our signs come to you,SAY: "Peace be
upon you!" Your Lord has prescribed mercy for Himself so He will be Forgiving,
Merciful to any of you who commits evil out of ignorance, then repents later on
and reforms. ** Thus We spell out signs so the criminals' way may be evident.

(VII)* SAY: "I am forbidden to serve those whom you appeal to instead of to
God." SAY: "I do not follow your whims: in that case I would go astray and not
be guided." *SAY: "I am [looking] for evidence from my Lord while you have
rejected it. I do not have what you are trying to hurry up; discretion lies only
with God. He relates the Truth and is the best Decider." * SAY: "If I had what
you seek to hurry up, the matter would have been settled between me and you. God
is quite Aware as to who a wrongdoers."

Keys to The Unseen

* He holds the keys to the Unseen;only He knows them! He
knowswhatever exists on land and at sea;no leaf drops down unless He
knows it, nor any seed [lies] in the darkness of the earth, nor any
tender [shoot] nor any withered [stalk]unless it is [written down] in a
clear Book.

** He is the One Who gathers you (all) in at night. He
knows what you have accomplished by day; then He revives you in it so a
stated period may be fulfilled.Then your return will be unto Him, when
He will notify you about whatever you have been doing.

More on God

(VIII) * He is the Irresistible, [reigns Supreme] Above His
servants! He sends guardians [to watch] over youso that whenever death
comes for one of you,Our messengers will gather him in.They will not
neglect [their duty];* then they will be sent back to God,their true
Patron.Surely discretion belongs to Him!He is the Swiftest
Reckoner.

* SAY: "Who saves you from darkness on land and at sea?" You appeal to Him
beseeching and in secret: "If He will rescue us from this, we'll be so
grateful!"

* SAY: "God will rescue you from it, and from all anxiety. Yet you still
associate zothers with Himd!"

** SAY: "He is Able to send torment down upon you or from underneath your
feet, or to confuse you with factions and make some of you experience the
violence of others."

Watch how We handle signs so that they may understand. * Even so our folk
reject it althoughit is the Truth.

SAY: 'I am no administrator set up over you. * Every piece of news has some
purpose, as you shall realize."

Handling Discussions

* Whenever you see those who speculate about Our signs, avoid them till they
speculate about some other topic of conversation. Even if Satan should cause you
to forget [to do so], still do not sit around with such wrongful folk once you
remember. * Those who do their duty are not accountable for them in any way
except to remind [them], so that they [in turn] may do their duty.

** Stay away from those who take their religion as a sport and amusement.
Worldly life has lured them on. Remind [them] of it lest any soul become
reckless because of what he has earned; he will have no patron nor any other
intercessor besides God. Even if he were to proffer every alternative, such
would not be accepted from him. Those who let themselves act recklessly
concerning what they have earned must drink boiling water and suffer painful
torment because of how they have disbelieved.

(IX)* SAY: "Should we appeal to something that can neither benefit nor harm
us, instead of to God? Shall we turn on our heels now that God has guided us,
bewildered like someone whom the devils have enticed away on earth, while his
companions are calling him to guidance: 'Come to us!'?"

God's Guidance

SAY: "God's guidance means [real] guidance. We have been ordered to commit
ourselves peacefully to the Lord of the Universe. * 'Keep up prayer and heed
Him!' He is the One before Whom you will (all) be summoned. * He is the One Who
really created Heaven and Earth. Any day He says: 'Be!'; then it is!

"His speech [means] the Truth and He will hold control on the day when the
Trumpet is sounded. Knowing the Unseen and Visible, He is wise, Informed."

Abraham's Search for God

* Thus Abraham said to his father Azar: "Do you accept idols as gods? I see
you and your folk are in obvious error." ** Therefore We showed Abraham
sovereignty over Heaven and Earth so he might feel reassured.

* When night descended on him, he saw a star. He said: "Will this be my
lord?" So when it set, he said: "I do not like setting things."

* So then as he saw the moon rising, he said: "Will this be my lord?"; and
when it set, he said: "If my Lord did not guide me, I would be a member of the
lost folk."

* So when he saw the sun rising (again), he said: "Will this be my lord? This
is [even] greater." As it set, he said: "My people, I am innocent of what you
associate [with God]! I have turned my face enquiringly to Him Who
originated Heaven and Earth. I am no associator."

** His people argued with him. He said: "Are you arguing with me concerning
God, while He has guided me? I do not fear what you associate with Him, unless
my Lord should wish for something else. My Lord comprises everything in
knowledge. Will you not be reminded? * How should I fear what you associate
[with Him] while you do not fear having associated something with God for which
He has not sent you down any authority? Which of either group deserves more
security, if you know anything? * Those who believe and do not cloak their faith
in wrongdoing will feel more secure and will be [better] guided."

Other Prophets

(X)* Such was Our argument which We furnished Abraham with against his folk:
We raise anyone We wish to in rank. Your Lord is Wise, Aware. * We bestowed
Isaac and Jacob on him; each We guided. Noah We had guided before, and from his
offspring [came] David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses and Aaron; thus We reward
those who act kindly. ** Zachariah, John, Jesus and Elijah were all honorable
men. * And Ishmael, Elisha, Jonah and Lot; each We preferred over [everybody
else in] the Universe. We picked out some of their forefathers, their offspring
and their brethren, and guided them to a Straight Road.

* Such is God's guidance: He thereby guides any of His servants He may wish.
If they had associated [others with Him], whatever they were doing would have
collapsed on them. * Those are the ones to whom We have given the Book, along
with discretion and prophethood; if such men should disbelieve in it, then We
will entrust it to a folk who will not disbelieve in it. ** Such are the ones
whom God has guided, so copy their guidance. SAY: 'I do not ask you any fee for
it; it is only a Reminder to [everybody in] the Universe!"

(XI)*They do not value God the way He should be valued when they say:
'God has not sent down anything to a human being." SAY: "Who sent down the Book
which Moses came with, as Light and guidance for mankind? You publish it on
(separate) sheets to show it around, while you (also) hide a great deal [of it].

You have been taught what neither you yourselves nor your forefathers ever
knew." SAY: "God [has sent it];" then leave them toying away with their
speculation.

* This is a blessed Book We have sent down to confirm whatever came before
it, so you may warn the Mother of Towns and anyone around her. Those who believe
in the Hereafter believe in it and attend to their prayer. * Yet who is more in
the wrong than someone who invents a lie about God? Or says: "Something has been
revealed to me... ", while nothing has been revealed to him; and who says: "I
shall send down the same as God has sent down"?

If you could only see when wrongdoers are in their death throes and the
angels stretch forth their hands: "Away with your souls! Today you are awarded
the torment of shame because you have been saying something that is not true
about God. You have acted too proud for His signs". * You have (all) come to Us
individually, now, just as We created you in the first place. You have left
behind what We conferred on you, nor do We see your intercessors alongside you
whom you claimed were associated with you. They have been cut off from you, and
what you have been claiming has merely led you astray!"

Proof of God

(XII)**God is the One Who splits the seed and kernel, He
brings the living from the dead, and is the One Who brings the dead from the
living. Such is God; yet still you shrug Him off! * Kindler of morn, He
grants night for repo and the sun and moon for telling time. Such is the
measure of the Powerful, the Aware! He is the One Who has placed the stars
to guide you through darkness on land and at sea, We have spelled out
signs for people who know!* It is He Who has reproduced you from
a single soul, and [granted you] a settlement [on earth] and a resting
place [after death].

Wehave spelled out signs for people who understand.

*It is He Who sends down water from the sky. Thus We bring forth plants of
every type with it; We produce green vegetation from it. We produce grain from
it piled tight packed on one another, and from the datepalm, clusters close at
hand produced from its pollen, as well as orchards full of grapes, olives and
pomegranates, which are so similar and yet dissimilar. Look at their fruit as He
causes it to grow and ripen.

In that are signs for folk who believe.

*** They have set up sprites as associates with God, even though
created them!

They have even dared to impute sons and daughters to Him without having any
knowledge. Glory be to Him; Exalted is He over whatever they describe!

(XIII)* Deviser of Heaven and earth! How can He save a son while He has no
consort? He created everything and is aware of everything!

God the Creator of Everything

*Such is God, your Lord;there is no deity except Him,the Creator of
everything,so serve Him. He isa Trustee for everything!

The Limits of Responsibility

* No powers of vision can comprehend Him, while He comprehends [all] vision;
He is the Subtle, the Informed. * Insights have come to you from your Lord;
anyone who observes [them] does so for his own sake, while anyone who acts
blindly has himself to blame. I am not [setup as] any guardian over you.

** Thus we spell out signs so they will say: "You have been studying!"; and
so We may explain it to folk who know. * Follow whatever has been revealed to
you by your Lord; there is no deity except Him. Avoid anyone who associates
[others with God]. * If God had so wished, they would not have associated
[anything with Him]. We have not set you up guardian over them, nor are you an
administrator for them.

* Do not insult those they appeal to instead of to God, lest they insult God
as an enemy without even realizing it. Thus We have made their action seem
attractive to every nation; then their return shall be to their Lord, so He may
notify them about how the have been acting.

* They swear by God with their stiffest oaths that if a sign were given them,
they would believe in it. SAY: "Signs belong only to God.' What will make you
perceive that even when they are given them, they will still believe? ** We
upset their vital organs and their eyesight since they did not believe it in the
first place. We will leave them groping along in their arrogance.

PART EIGHT

(XIV)* Even though We were to send angels down to them and the dead were to
speak to them, and We mustered everything against them, they still would not
believe unless God so wishes; yet most of them act so out of ignorance. * Thus
We have granted each messenger an opponent, devils from humankind and sprites,
some of whom have inspired others with seductive talk in order to deceive them.
If your Lord had so wished, they would not have done so; so leave them alone as
well as anything they may be inventing. * Let the vital organs of those who do
not believe in the Hereafter incline towards it, and let them feel satisfied
with it and acquire whatever they may be acquiring.

* Should I crave someone besides God to settle matters? He is the One Who has
sent the Book down to you to set things forth in detail. Those whom We have
given the Book recognize that it has been sent down from your Lord with the
Truth, so do not be a doubter. ** Your Lord's word has been completed so far as
[its] credibility and justice are concerned; there is no way to change His
words. He is the Alert, the Aware. * If you obeyed most of those who are on
earth, they would lead you astray from God's path; they only follow conjecture
and are merely guessing. * You Lord is quite Aware as to who is straying from is
path, just as He is quite Aware as to who are guided.

Saying Grace Over Food

* So eat whatever God's name has been mentioned over if you are believers in
His signs. * What is wrong with you that you do not eat something God's name has
been mentioned over? He has spelled out for you what has been forbidden
you-unless you are obliged to [eat it]. Many [people] lead others astray through
their own passions without having any knowledge; your Lord is quite Aware as to
who are disobedient. ** Leave off obvious vice and its inner source; those who
acquire a vice will be rewarded for whatever they may have committed. * Do not
eat anything over which God's name has not been mentioned; it is so immoral! The
devils inspire their adherents to argue with you; if you (all) obeyed them, you
would become associators [of others in your worship of God Alone].

(XV) * Is someone who has been dead and whom We revived and granted light to
so he may walk among people with it, to be compared to someone who is in such
darkness he cannot leave it? Thus anything they have been doing seems attractive
to disbelievers.

* Thus We have granted each town great men who are its criminals, to plot
away in it. They merely plot against themselves and do not even notice it. *
Whenever some sign comes to them, they say: "We will never believe until we are
given the same as God's messengers were given." God is quite Aware as to where
He should place His message; belittlement by God and stern torment will strike
those who commit crimes because of what they have been plotting.

** God lays anyone's breast open to Islam whom He wants to guide, while He
makes the breast of anyone He wants to be led astray seem cramped, tight, just
as if he were climbing up to Heaven. Thus God places a blight on those who do
not believe. * This is your Lord's Straight Road. We have spelled out signs for
folk who remember: * they will have apeaceful home with their
Lord; He will be their Patron because of what they have been doing.

* Some day He will summon them all together: "O company of sprites, you have
required too much from humankind." Their adherents among humanity will say: "Our
Lord, some of us have taken advantage of one another, and have [now] reached our
deadline which You appointed for us." He will say: "The Fire will be your
lodging to live in for ever, except for whatever God may wish. Your Lord is
Wise, Aware." * Thus We let some wrongdoers manage others because of what they
had been earning. (XVI)** "O company of sprites and humankind, have not
messengers from among yourselves come to relate My signs to you and warn you
about a meeting on this day of yours?" They will say: "We bear witness even
against ourselves." Worldly life has lured them on and they bear witness against
themselves for having been disbelievers.

* That is because your Lord will not destroy any towns unjustly while their
people are heedless: * everyone will have ranks according to what they have been
doing. Your Lord is not oblivious of what they are doing. * Your Lord is
Transcendent, the Master of Mercy; if He so wished, He would remove you and
bring replacements for you in any way He wishes, just as He has produced you
from the offspring of other people.* What you are promised is coming; you will
never avert it.

Association is DeceitfulInfanticide Forbidden

** SAY: "My people, act according to your situation; I [too] am Acting! You
will know who will have the Home as a result. The fact is that wrongdoers will
not prosper. * They grant God a share in what He has produced such as crops and
livestock, and they say: "This is God's,' according to their claim, and:
"This is our associates'." Anything that is meant for their associates never
reaches God, while what is God's reaches their associates (too); how evil is
whatever they decide! * Even so, their associates have made killing their
children seem attractive to many associators, to lead them on to ruin and to
confuse their religion for them. If God so wishes, they would not do so; so
leave them alone and whatever they are inventing.

Pagan Practices

* They say: "This livestock and (these) crops are taboo; only someone
we wish to may eat them!", according to their claim. There are some livestock
whose backs one is forbidden to ride, as well as (other) livestock
over which God's name has not been mentioned, as something invented despite Him.
He will reward them according to what they have been inventing. * They say:
"What is in this livestock's bellies is reserved exclusively for our
menfolk, and forbidden to our wives." Yet if it is stillborn, then they may be
partners in it!

He will reward them for their description; He is Wise, Aware.

** Those who have stupidly killed their own children without having any
knowledge and forbidden something God has provided them with, have lost out
through inventing things about God; they have gone astray and not accepted
guidance.

(XVII)* He it is Who has produced gardens, both trellised and untrellised,
and datepalms and field crops whose food [tastes] different, as well as olives
and pomegranates which are so alike and yet so unlike! Eat some of their fruit
as they ripen, and give away whatever they ought to on their harvest day. Yet do
not overdo things for He does not love extravagant people.

* Some livestock is for transport and some meant for use at home. Eat
anything God has provided you with and do not follow in Satan's footsteps, for
he is an open enemy of yours, * Eight exist in pairs: two [pairs] of sheep and
two of goats. SAY: "Does He forbid both males or both females, or what the
females' wombs contain? Inform me scientifically if you are so truthful! *
Camels also [come] in twos and cattle in twos. SAY: "Did He forbid both males or
both females, or what both females' wombs contain? Were you witnesses when God
instructed you concerning this? Who does more harm than someone who invents a
lie about God, so he may lead mankind astray without having any knowledge? God
does not guide wrong-doing folk.

Dietary Restrictions

(XVIII)**SAY: "I do not find anything forbidden in what has been
revealed to me for anyone needing to eat something, unless it is something that
has died [by itself] or it is blood which has already been shed, or pork-that is
so filthy!-or a sinful offering that has been consecrated to something besides
God.

RestrictionsConcerning anyone who is obliged to do so, without either
meaning to disobey nor exceeding his [barest] needs, your Lord is Forgiving,
Merciful.

* We have forbidden those who are Jews everything having a claw, and in the
case of cattle, sheep and goats, We have forbidden them their tallow, unless it
is located in their backs or intestines, or what is mingled with their bones.
That is how We have rewarded them because of their insolence. We are Truthful; *
so if they should reject you, then say: 'Your Lord possesses boundless Mercy.
His might will not be withheld from criminal folk,"

Associators

* Those who associate [others in their worship of God) will say: 'I God had
so wished, neither we nor our forefathers would have associated [anything with
Him] nor have forbidden anything." Even so did those before them reject [Us]
until they tasted Our might. SAY: "Have you (all) any knowledge? Then bring it
here for us! Why, you only follow conjecture; you are merely guessing!"

* SAY: "God holds the convincing argument; if He so wished, He would have
guided every one of you." ** SAY: "Produce your witnesses who will testify that
God has forbidden this!" If they so testify, still do not testify along with
them nor follow the whims of those who reject Our signs and do not believe in
the Hereafter. They make all things equal to their Lord!

(XIX)* SAY: 'Come close, I will recite what your Lord has forbidden you:

Ten Commandments

Do not associate anything with Him;

And [show] kindness towards both [your] parents.

Do not kill your children because of poverty; We shall provide for as well
as for them.

Do not indulge in shocking acts which you may practise either openly or
keep secret.

Do not kill any person whom God has forbidden, except through [due process
of] law. He has instructed you in this so that you may use your reason.

* Do not approach an orphan's estate before he comes of age, except to
improve it.

Grant full measure and weight in all fairness. We do not assign
person to do more than he can cope with.

Whenever you speak, be just even though it concerns a close relative.

Fulfil God's agreement. Thus has He instructed you so that you may bear it
in mind.

The Straight Road

* This is My Straight Road, so follow it and do not follow [other] paths
which will separate you from His path. Thus has He instructed you so that you
may do your duty.

* Then We gave Moses the Book as a fulfilment for someone who acts kindly,
and an analysis of everything, as well as for guidance and mercy so they may
believe about meeting their Lord. (XX)** This is a Blessed Book We have sent
down, so follow it and do your duty so that you may receive mercy, * lest you
say: "The Book was sent down to only two factions before us. We have been
unaware of what they study." * Or you may say: "If the Book had been sent down
to us, We would be better guided than they are."

Evidence has now come to you from your Lord, as well as guidance and mercy.
Who is more in the wrong than someone who rejects God's signs and even evades
them? We will reward those who evade Our signs with the worst torment because
they have acted so evasive. * Are they only waiting for angels to come to them
or for your Lord to arrive, or for some of your Lord's signs to come? On the day
when some of your Lord's signs arrive, belief in them will not benefit any
person who has not believed in them already, nor earned some good through his
[profession of] faith.

SAY: "Wait; we too are waiting!"

Sectarian Division

* Concerning those who permit divisions in their religion and form sects, you
should have nothing to do with them in any way. Their case rests entirely with
God; soon He will notify them about whatever they have been doing.

** Anyone who comes with a fine deed will have ten more like it,while
anyone who comes with an evil deedwill only be rewarded with its
like;they will not be treated unjustly.

Abraham

* SAY: "As for me, my Lord has guided me along a Straight
Road, [leading to] an established religion, the creed of Abraham the
Enquirer. He was no associator."

* SAY: "My prayer and my devotion,my living and my dying,(all) belong
to God, Lord of the Universe;* no associate has He,with that am I
commanded,and I am the first of the Muslims."

Individual Responsibility

* SAY: "Should I seek some other lord than God, while He is Lord of
Everything? Each soul is responsible only for its own self, while no burdened
[soul] shall bear another's burden. Soon your return will be unto your Lord, so
He may advise you concerning whatever you have been differing over.

Collective Responsibility

** "He is the One Who has placed you as overlords on earth and raised some of
you higher than others in rank so He may test you by means of what He has given
you. Your Lord is Swift in punishment; yet He is Forgiving, Merciful."

7. The Heights

THIS LONG chapter of 206 Meccan verses is arranged in twenty-four sections.
Vv. 163-170 in section xxi date however from Madina. The chapter was revealed
after [The Letter] Sad 38 and before Sprites 72, and concerns our
eventual reward for our conduct during this life. It contains a series of
parallel yet not identical passages on the case histories or messages that have
been conveyed through various prophets.

In section IIthe Devil tempts Adam before the tree of Good and Evil.
The Heights which give the chapter its title are mentioned in sections
V-VI, and they present a vivid picture of Heaven and Hell which furnishes so of
the imagery for the Divine Comedy by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. Some
consider them to be a lofty bridge or the site of Purgatory that lies between
Heaven and Hell.

Sections IX-X reflect on the future and on God's Oneness. Then there follows
in detail Moses' wonderful story, especially on Mt. Sinai with the Golden Calf
(XIII-XVIII), and then his troubles with the Children of Israel. The last
section (XXIV, along with VII), offers the vast picture of man's creation along
with the resultant process of animal and human reproduction.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(II)* A. L. M. S.

* A Book has been sent down to you, so do not let your breast feel it is
under any constraint because of it, so you may warn by means of it; [it is] a
Reminder for believers.

* Follow whatever has been sent down to you by your Lord and do not follow
any sponsors besides Him; yet how seldom do you remember! * How many towns
have We wiped out? Our might has come upon them at dead of night or while they
were napping. ** Once Our might came to them, their appeal was merely to say:
"We have been such wrongdoers!"* Let Us ask those to whom it was sent and
let Us (also) ask the emissaries; * let Us relate what We know about them since
We have not been absent.

* The weighing-in that day will be correct: those whose scales are heavy will
be prosperous; * while those whose scales are light are the ones who have lost
their souls because they had been damaging Our signs. * We have established you
on earth and granted you means by which to live on it. Yet seldom are you
grateful!

The Devil with Adam

(II)* We created you (all); then We shaped you. Then We told the angels: "Bow
down before Adam". They bowed down on their knees except for Diabolis; he was no
one to bow down on his knees!

* He said: "What prevents you from bowing down when I have commanded you to
[do so]?" He said: "I am better than he is; You created me from fire, while You
created him from clay." * He said: "Clear out of here; you have no reason to act
so proud about it. Get out; you are such a petty person!"

* He said: "Let me wait until the day when they are raised up again." ** He
said: "You are one who will be allowed to wait." * He said: "Since you have let
me wander off, I'll waylay them along Your Straight Road; * then I'll come at
them from in front of them and from behind them, on their right and on their
left. You will not find that most of them are grateful." * He said: "Get out of
here, despised, rejected! I'll fill Hell with all of those who follow you.

The Tree of Good and Evil

* "And Adam, settle down in the garden, you and your wife. Eat wherever you
wish; yet do not approach this tree lest either of you should become
wrongdoers."

** So Satan whispered to them to show them both their private parts which had
gone unnoticed by either of them. He said: 'Your Lord only forbids you this tree
so that you will not become two angels, or lest you both become immortal." * He
swore to them: "I am a sincere counsellor with both of you!" * He led them on by
deceiving [them].

Once they had tasted the tree['s fruit], their private parts became apparent
to both of them, and they started to patch together leaves from the Garden for
themselves.

Their Lord called out to them: "Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you
both that Satan is an open enemy of yours?" * They said: "Our Lord, we have
harmed ourselves! If You do not forgive us and grant us mercy, we'll be losers."
* He said: "Clear out! You will become one another's enemies. Yet you may have a
residence on earth and enjoyment for a while." ** He [further] said: "You will
live on it and you will die on it, and from it will you be brought forth
[again]."

(III)* "Children of Adam, We have sent you down clothing with which to
conceal your private parts and to dress up in. Yet the clothing of
heedfulness is best!"

That is one of God's signs, so that they may bear it in mind.

Sexual Misconduct

* Children of Adam, do not let Satan tempt you just as he turned your two
ancestors out of the Garden, stripping them of their clothing in order to show
them their private parts. He and his tribe watch you from where you do not see
them! We have placed devils as patrons for those who do not believe. * Whenever
they perform any obscene act they say: "We found out our forefathers were
performing it, and God has ordered us to do so." SAY: "God does not order any
sexual misconduct. Do you say something you do not know about God?"

* SAY: "My Lord has ordered me to play fair. Keep your faces set towards
every place of prayer and appeal to Him sincerely; religion belongs to Him. Even
as He started you off, so will you return. ** One party has

He guided while another party ought to be allowed to go astray: they have
adopted the devils as patrons instead of God, and reckon they are guided!

Etiquette

* Children of Adam, wear your best clothes to every place of worship!
Eat and drink, yet do not overdo things; He does not love the
extravagant.

(IV)* SAY: "Who has forbidden God's amenities which He has produced for His
servants, and the wholesome things from [His] provisions SAY: 'On Resurrection
Day they will be [reserved] exclusively for those who have believed during
worldly life." Thus do We set forth signs for folk who know.

More Do Not's

* SAY: "My Lord has only forbidden shocking deeds whether they are flagrant
or kept hidden; and vice and sedition without any right to do so; and that you
should associate anything with God for which He has not sent down any authority;
and that you should say something you do not know concerning God.

Philosophy of History

* Every nation has its term;so whenever their deadline comes,they
will not postpone it for an hour,nor will they advance it.

** Children of Adam, whenever any messengers from among yourselves come to
relate My signs to you, then anyone who does his duty and reforms will have no
fear nor need they feel saddened; * while those who reject My signs and act too
haughty towards them will become inmates of the Fire; they will remain there for
ever.

* Who is more in the wrong than someone who invents a lie about God or
rejects His signs? Those will have their portion from the Book presented to them
so that when Our messengers come to carry them off, they will say: 'Where are
whatever you used to appeal to instead of to God?" They will say: "They have
left us in the lurch," and so they shall testify against themselves as to how
they have been disbelievers. * He will say: "Enter the Fire along with the
nations of sprites and humankind who have passed away before you."

Every time some nation enters it, it will curse its sister[-nation] until,
when they have all caught up with one another, the last of them will say to the
first: "Our Lord, these [people] have misled us, so give them double torment
from the Fire!" He will say: "Each shall have double, even though you do not
realize it." * The first of them will tell the last: "What advantage have you
over us? Taste torment because of what you have earned!"

Heaven and Hell

(V)** Heaven's gates will not swing open for those who reject Our signs and
feel too proud for them, nor will they enter the Garden until a camel can be led
through the eye of a needle. Thus We reward criminals: * they will have a couch
in Hell while over them there will hang awnings. Thus We reward wrongdoers!

* Those who believe and perform honorable deeds [will find] We never assign
any soul more than it can cope with. Those will become inhabitants of the
Garden; they will live in it for ever. * We will strip away any rancor [that
lingers] in their breasts. Rivers will flow beneath them and they will say:
"Praise be to God Who led us to this! We would never have been guided if God had
not led us on. Our Lord's messengers have brought the Truth." They will hear
someone call out: "Here is the Garden you have inherited because of what you
have done!"

* The inhabitants of the Garden will call out to the inmates of the Fire: 'We
have found out that what our Lord promised us is true. Have you found what your
Lord promised you to be true?" They will say: "Yes!" So an announcer among them
will call out: "God's curse rests on wrongdoers ** who obstruct God's path and
try to make it crooked, and are disbelievers in the Hereafter."

* Between them both there will hang a curtain, while on the Heights
above there will be men who recognize everyone by their features. They will call
out to the inhabitants of the Garden: "Peace be upon you!" They have not yet
entered it even though they long to. * When their sight is shifted towards the
inmates of the Fire, they will say: "Our Lord, do not place us alongside such
wrongdoing folk!"

(VI)* The Companions on the Heights will call out to some men whom
they will recognize by their features; they will say: "How did all your storing
things up and how proud you acted benefit you? * Are you those who swore that
God would not confer any mercy on them? Enter the Garden; there is no [need] for
you to fear nor should you feel saddened."

** The inmates of the Fire will call out to the inhabitants of the Garden:
"Pour some water over us, or anything God has provided you with!" They will say:
"God has forbidden either of them to disbelievers * who have taken their
religion as a pastime and for amusement; worldly life has lured them on."

Today We shall forget them just as they forgot about meeting on this day of
theirs. Did they not repudiate Our signs? * We have given them the Book; We have
spelled it out knowingly as a guideline and mercy for folk who believe. * Are
they only waiting for it to be interpreted? The day its interpretation comes
along, those who have already forgotten it will say: "Our Lord's messengers did
bring the Truth! Have we any intercessors to intercede for us? Or should we be
sent back, then we would act so differently from the way we have been acting."
They have lost their souls and what they have been inventing has left them in
the lurch.

Creation

(VII)*Your Lord is God, Who created Heaven and Earth in six days;
then He mounted on the Throne. He wraps night up with daytime, seeking it
automatically. The sun, moon and stars are regulated by His command. Surely
creation and authority belong to Him. Blessed be God, Lord of the Universe!

The Winds

** Appeal to your Lord beseeching and in private; He does not love those who
are aggressive. * Do not spoil things on earth once they have been improved.
Appeal to Him out of fear and expectation; God's mercy lies close to those who
act kindly. * He is the One Who sends winds to announce His mercy directly, so
that whenever they lift up heavy clouds, We drive them along to a dead
countryside and send down water from them; and thus We bring forth every kind of
fruit. Thus We bring forth the dead too so you may bear this in mind. * A good
land brings forth its plants with its Lord's permission, while whatever is
sterile will produce only grudgingly. Thus We spell out signs for folk who act
grateful.

Noah's Mission

(VIII)* We sent Noah to his people, and he said: "My folk, serve Go [Alone];
you have no other deity than Him. I fear the torment of an awful day for you!"
** The elders of his people said: "We see you are in obvious error." * He said:
"My folk, no trace of error lies in me, but I am a messenger from the Lord of
the Universe, * I transmit my Lord's messages to you, and counsel you sincerely.
I know something you do not know about God. * Are you surprised that a Reminder
should come to you from your Lord through one of your own men, so He may warn
you and you will do your duty, and in order that you may receive mercy.?"

* Yet they said he was lying, so We saved him and those who were along with
him in the Ark. We let those who rejected Our signs drown; they were such blind
folk!

Ad and Their Prophet Hud

(IX)** To Ad [there was sent] their brother Hud: "O my people, serve God
[Alone]. You have no other deity than Him. Will you not do your duty?" * The
elders who disbelieved among his folk said: "We see you are [full] of nonsense,
and think you are a liar!"

* He said: "My people, there is no nonsense in me, but I am a messenger from
the Lord of the Universe! * I transmit my Lord's messages to you; I am a
trustworthy counsellor for you. * Are you surprised that a Reminder from your
Lord should come to you through one of your own men, so that He may warn you?
Remember when He set you up as overlords following Noah's folk, and made you
grow so very tall. Remember God's benefits so that you may prosper.

** They said: "Have you come to us so we will worship God Alone and forsake
whatever our forefathers have been serving? Bring us whatever you threaten us
with if you are so truthful." * He said: "A blight plus wrath from your Lord
have already fallen on you. Are you arguing with me about some names that you
and your forefathers have made up? God has not sent down any authority for them.
Just wait: I am waiting alongside you."

** So We saved him and those who stood with him through mercy from Ourself,
and We cut off the last remnant of those who rejected Our signs and were not
believers.

Thamud and Their Prophet [Methu] Salih

(X)* To Thamud [there was sent] their brother Salih. He said: "My folk,
worship God! You have no other deity than Him. A proof has come to you from your
Lord: this camel belonging to God is a sign for you, so leave her grazing on
God's earth and do not let any harm touch her lest some painful torment should
overtake you. * Remember when He set you up as overlords

after Ad, and settled you down on the earth. You occupy palaces on its plains
and carve houses out of the mountains. Remember God's benefits and do not cause
havoc on earth like mischief makers."

** The elders among his people who acted proudly told the ones they
considered helpless even thou the still believed: "Do you know whether Salih is
an emissary from his Lord?" They said: 'We are believers in whatever he has been
sent with." * Those who acted proudly said: "We are disbelievers in what you
believe in." * So they hamstrung the camel, objected to their Lord's command,
and said: "Salih, bring us what you promise us with if you are an emissary!"

* A tremor caught them; so one morning they lay cowering in their home. * He
turned away from them and said: "My people, I have delivered my Lord's message
to you and counselled you sincerely, but you do not like sincere advisors."

** And there was Lot when he told his people: "Do you indulge in a sexual
practice such as no one in the Universe has ever indulged in previously? * You
approach men lustfully instead of women! Rather are dissipated folk."

* His people's answer was merely to say: "Run them out of your town: they are
persons who are trying to keep pure." * We saved him and his family except for
his wife; she was one of those who lagged behind. * We sent a rain down on them:
look how the outcome was for such criminals!

Midian and Their Messenger Shuayb

(XI)** To Midian [We sent] their brother Shuayb. He said: 'My people, worship
God [Alone]! You have no other deity besides Him. A token has come to you from
your Lord, so offer full measure and weight, and do not undersell people in
their dealings nor spoil things on earth once it has been set right; that will
be best for you if you are believers. * Do not lurk along every road,
threatening and blocking anyone off from God's way who believes in Him, and
seeking to make it crooked. Remember how few you were and He increased you. See
what the outcome was for those who act depraved. * If there is a faction of you
who believe in what I have been sent with, and another faction which does not so
believe, still be patient until God judges between us. He is the best of
Judges."

PART NINE

(XI cont'd) * The elders among his people who had acted proudly said: "We'll
run you out of our town, Shuayb, as well as those who believe along with you; or
else you will return to our sect!" He said: "Even though we detest it? * We'd
invent a lie about God if we returned to your sect now after God has saved us
from it. There is no means for us to return to it unless God our Lord should
wish us to; our Lord comprises everything in knowledge. On God have we relied.
Our Lord, really deliver us from our own people; You are the best
Deliverer."

** The elders among his people who disbelieved said: 'If you follow Shuayb,
you will then be losers." * So the Tremor caught them, and one morning they lay
cowering in their homes: * those who rejected Shuayb [ended up] as if they had
never been so wealthy in them; those who rejected Shuayb were the losers! * So
he turned away from them and said: 'My people, I have delivered my Lord's
messages to you and counselled you sincerely. Why should I grieve over a
disbelieving folk?"

Prosperity and Depression

(XII)* We have never sent a prophet into any town unless We [first] seized
its people with suffering and hardship, so that they might he humbled ** Then We
turned evil into good so that they were thriving, and said: 'Both hardship and
happiness befell our ancestors." So We seized them suddenly while they did not
even notice it.

* If the townsfolk had (only) believed and done their duty, We would have
showered blessings from Heaven and Earth on them, but they rejected townsfolk
feel secure from Our might's striking them at dead of night while they are
asleep? * Or do the people of the towns feel safe from Our night's striking them
in broad daylight while they are playing around? * Do they feel safe from God's
design? No one should feel safe from God's design except for folk who will lose
out.

(XIII)*** Were those who will inherit the earth after its (present] people
never shown how We would strike them down for their offences and seal off their
hearts if We so wished, so they would not hear? * We have related news
concerning those towns to you: their messengers came to them with explanations,
yet they were not in any mood to believe in something they had already rejected.
Thus God seals off disbelievers' hearts. * We did not find any agreement was
ever kept by most of them, although we did find most of them were quite immoral!

Moses

* Then after them, we dispatched Moses with Our signs to Pharaoh and his
courtiers, and they mistreated them. See how the outcome was for mischiefmakers!
* Moses said: "Pharaoh, I am a messenger from the Lord of the Universe. ** It is
(only) right for me to say nothing except the Truth about God. I have brought
you an explanation from your Lord, so send the Children of Israel away with me."
* He said: 'If you have brought some sign, well produce it then if you are so
truthful!" * He tossed his staff down and imagine, it obviously became a snake!
* He pulled out his hand (from his shirtfront), and imagine, it was white to the
onlookers!

(XIV)* The notables among Pharaoh's people said: 'This is some clever
magician! ** He wants to drive you out of your land; so what do you command?"
They said: 'Put him and his brother off, and send recruiters out through the
cities * who will bring you in every clever magician."

* The magicians came to Pharaoh. They said: 'Will we have some payment if we
are the winners?" * He said: "Yes, and you will become courtiers."

** They said: 'Moses, will you throw something down or shall we be the ones
to throw [first]?" * He said: "You throw [first]!" So when they threw, they
charmed the people's eyes and overawed them. They produced a splendid trick!

* We inspired Moses with: 'Throw your staff," and imagine, it swallowed up
whatever they had trumped up! * Truth prevailed and what they had been doing
collapsed; * those men were defeated and were turned back belittled. ** The
magicians dropped down on their knees; * they said: "We believe in the Lord of
the Universe, * the Lord of Moses and Aaron."

* Pharaoh said: "You have believed in Him before I permit you to! This is
some scheme which you have hatched in the city in order to drive its people out.
You will soon find out! * I'll cut off your hands and feet on opposite
sides; then I'll crucify you all." ** They said: "We will be sent home to our
Lord. * You are persecuting us only because we have believed in our Lord's signs
once they were brought us. Our Lord, pour patience over us, and gather us up [at
death] as Muslims!"

(XV)* The notables among Pharaoh's people said: "Are you letting Moses and
his people ruin the earth, and forsake you and your gods?" He said: "We shall
slaughter their sons and let their women live; we stand irresistible over
them."

* Moses told his people: "Seek help from God and act patient; the earth
belongs to God. Anyone He wishes from among His servants will inherit it, and
the outcome belongs to the heedful." * They said: "We were oppressed before you
came to us, and [will be again] after you have come to us." He said: 'Perhaps
your Lord will wipe out your enemy and leave you as overlords on earth, so He
may observe how you act."

(XVI)** We gripped Pharaoh's household with years [of trial] and a shortage
of fruit so they might bear it in mind. * Whenever something fine came to them,
they said: "This is ours;" while if something evil afflicted them, they took it
as an omen connected with Moses and whoever was with him. Did not their omen
only lie with God? Yet most of them do not realize it. * They said: "No matter
what sign you may bring us to charm us with, we will never believe in you."

* We sent the flood and grasshoppers, lice, frogs and blood on them as
distinguishing signs, yet they (still) acted proudly and were criminal folk. *
Whenever some plague fell upon them, they said: "Moses, appeal to your Lord for
us, because of what He has pledged for you; if you will lift the plague from us,
we will believe in you and send the Children of Israel away with you."

** Yet whenever We lifted the plague from them for a period which they were
to observe, why, they failed to keep it! * We avenged Ourselves on them and
drowned them in the deep, because they had rejected Our signs and been so
heedless of them. * We let a folk whom they considered to be inferior inherit
the Eastern and Western parts of the land which We had blessed. Your Lord's
finest word was accomplished for the Children of Israel because they had been so
patient. We destroyed everything Pharaoh and his people had been producing and
whatever they had been building.

* We led the Children of Israel across the sea. They came upon a people who
were dedicated to some idols they had. They said: "Moses, make a god for us like
the gods they have." He said: "You are a folk who act ignorantly. * Anything
those people are busy at is doomed and whatever they have been doing is absurd."
** He said: 'Should I seek something instead of God as a deity for you, while He
has preferred you ahead of [everyone in] the Universe? *

When We saved you from Pharaoh's household, they were imposing the worst
torment on you: they slaughtered your sons and spared your women. That meant a
serious trial from your Lord."

Moses on Mt. Sinai

(XVII)* We appointed thirty nights for Moses and completed them with ten; the
appointment with his Lord was complete in forty nights. Moses told his brother
Aaron: "Rule my people in my stead and set a good example; do not pursue the
mischiefmakers' course."

* When Moses came for Our appointment and his Lord spoke to him, he said: "My
Lord, show [yourself] to me so I may look at You." He said: "You will never see
Me, but look at the mountain [instead]. If it remains in its place, then you
shall see Me." When his Lord displayed his glory to the mountain, He left it
flattened off, and Moses fell down stunned.

When he came back to his senses, he said: "Glory be to You! I have turned to
You and am the first believer!" * He said: "Moses, I have selected you ahead of
[all] mankind for My messages and My word; so accept whatever I may give you and
act grateful [for it]." ** We wrote down a bit of everything for him on Tablets
for instruction and as an analysis of everything: "Hold to it firmly and command
your folk to hold on to whatever is best in it. I shall show you (all) the home
for immoral people. * I shall divert those from My signs who have strutted
around the earth so proudly without having any right to do so."

Modesty and Good Conduct

Even if they saw every sign, they still would not believe in them. If they
saw the way to normal behavior they would not accept it as any way [to behave],
while if they saw any way to err, they would accept it as a course [of action].
That is because they have rejected Our signs and been heedless of them.

* Those who reject Our signs and [the idea of] a meeting in the Hereafter
will [see] their works collapse. Will they not be rewarded for just what they
have been doing?

The Golden Calf

(XVIII)* After he had gone, Moses' folk designed a calf [made] out of their
jewelry, a (mere) body that mooed. Did they not see that it neither spoke to
them nor guided them along any way? They adopted it and (thereby) became
wrongdoers.

* When the matter was dropped in their hands and they saw that they were
lost, they said: "If our Lord does not show us mercy and forgive us, we will be
losers."

** When Moses returned angry, sorrowful to his folk, he said: 'What an awful
thing you have committed behind my back! Have you tried to hurry up your Lord's
command?" He dropped the Tablets and seized his brother by the head, pulling him
towards himself. He said: "Son of my mother, the people felt I was weak and they
almost killed me! Dont let any enemies gloat over me nor place me with such
wrongdoing folk!" * He said: 'My Lord, forgive me and my brother, and let us
enter Your mercy! You are the most Merciful of those who show mercy!"

(XIX)* Anger and disgrace from their Lord will be awarded those who accepted
the calf during worldly life. Thus We reward those who invent [such things]; *
as for those who perform evil deeds, then repent later on and believe, your Lord
will later on be Forgiving, Merciful.

* When his anger had subsided, Moses picked up the Tablets whose text
contained guidance and mercy for those who revere their Lord.

** Moses chose his people, seventy men, for an appointment with Us.When
the Tremor seized them, he said: "My Lord, even though You may have wished to
wipe them out and myself (as well) earlier, are You wiping us out just because
of what some fools among us have done? It is only Your manner of testing: You
let anyone You wish to, go astray by means of it, and let anyone You wish, to be
guided. You are our Patron, so pardon us and show us mercy; You are the best
Pardoner. * Prescribe a fine thing for us in this world and in the Hereafter;
let us be guided towards You!"

The Unletterted Prophet

He said: "I afflict anyone I wish with My torment while My mercy embraces
everything; I shall prescribe it for those who do their duty, pay the welfare
tax, and who believe in Our signs, * those who follow the Messenger, the
Unlettered Prophet whom they will find written down for them in the Torah and
the Gospel. He commands them to be decent and forbids them dishonor. He permits
them wholesome things and prohibits them evil things, and relieves them of their
obligation and the shackles which have lain upon them. Those who believe in him,
revere him and support him, and follow the Light which was sent down with him;
those will be successful."

(XX)* SAY: "Mankind, for all of you I am but a messenger from God [Alone],
Who holds control over Heaven and Earth. There is no deity except Him; He gives
life and brings death. Believe in God and His messenger, the Unlettered Prophet
who himself believes in God [Alone] and His words: follow him so you may be
guided."

* Out of Moses' folk [there grew] a nation who guided by means of the Truth
and dealt justly by means of it. ** We split them up into twelve tribes,
communities, and inspired Moses when his people asked for water: 'Strike the
rock with your staff." Twelve springs gushed forth from it. Each set of people
knew its own drinking-place.

We shaded them with clouds and sent down manna and quail for them: 'Eat some
of the wholesome things which We have supplied you with." Yet they did not harm
Us, but they themselves were the persons whom they harmed. * When they were
told: "Settle down in this town and eat wherever you wish in it, and say:
'Relieve [us]!' Enter the gate [walking] on your knees. We will forgive you your
mistakes; We will give even more to those who act kindly," * those among them
who did wrong changed the statement into something else than what had been told
them; so We sent a plague from Heaven upon them because of how wrong they had
been acting.

The Sabbath Breakers

(XXI)* Ask them about the town which lay facing the sea, when they broke the
Sabbath. Their fish came to them swimming on the surface on their Sabbath Day,
while any day they did not cease work, it did not come to them. Thus We tested
them since they had been acting so immorally.

* Whenever a community among them said: "Why do you lecture a folk whom God
will destroy anyhow, or [at least] punish them severely?" they said: "To gain
absolution from your Lord, and so they may do their duty." ** When they forgot
what they had been reminded of, We rescued those who had forbidden evil while We
seized those who were doing wrong with dreadful torment because they had been
acting so immorally. * When they became insolent about what had been forbidden
them, we told them: "Become apes who will be chased away." * So your Lord
announced that He would send someone against them who would impose the worst
torment on them until Resurrection Day. Your Lord is Prompt with punishment,
while He is (also) Forgiving, Merciful,

Imperfect Messages

* We split them up into nations (that exist) on earth. Some of them are
honorable while some of them are otherwise. We have tested them with fine things
and evil things so they might repent. * Successors replaced them afterward who
inherited the Book, taking on the show of this lowly place and saying: 'It will
be forgiven us.' If a show like it were give them (again), they would accept it.
Was not an agreement concerning the Book accepted by them: that they would tell
nothing but the Truth about God? They studied what was in it.

A home in the Hereafter is better for those who do their duty - do they not
use their reason? ** As for those who hold onto the Book and keep up prayer-We
shall never forfeit reformers' wages. * Thus We suspended the Mountain over them
as if it were an awning, and they thought it was going to fall down on them:
"Hold on firmly to anything We have given you and remember what is in it, so
that you may do your duty!"

The Islamic Covenant

(XXII)* When your Lord took their offspring from the Children of Adam's
loins, and made them bear witness about themselves: 'Am I not your Lord?"; they
said: 'Of course, we testify to it!" lest you (all) might say on Resurrection
Day: "We were unaware of this;" * or lest you say: "It was only our forefathers
who associated [others with God] previously; offspring following them. Will You
wipe us out because of what furtile men have done?" * Thus We spell out signs so
that they may repent.

The Dog

** Recite news to them about someone to whom We gave Our signs. He slipped
away from them, so Satan followed him and he became misguided. * If We had so
wished, We might have raised him up by means of them, but he clung to the earth
and followed his own whim. He might be compared to a dog: no matter how you
drive him off, he just pants away. Or if you leave him alone, he still pants on.
That is what folk who reject Our signs are like; tell such stories so they may
think things over. * How evil is the comparison of folk who reject Our signs; it
is their own souls they hurt!

The Losers

* Anyone whom God guideshas been (really) guided;while those He
lets go astraywill he the losers. * We have bredmany sprites and humans
for Hell: they have hearts they do not understand with,and eyes they do
not see with,and ears they do not hear with.Those persons are like
livestock:in fact, they are even further off track,They are
heedless!

** God has the Finest Names, so appeal to Him by name and leave those who
blaspheme against His names alone; they will be rewarded for whatever they have
been doing.

* Some of those whom We have created form a nation which guides [men] by
means of the Truth, and because of it they act justly.

(XXIIX)* We shall gradually bring those who reject Our signs from a place
they do not recognize. * I shall let them go on, for My scheme is sure. * Have
they not thought things over? There is no madness in their companion; he is
merely a plain warner. ** Have they not observed in the sovereignty over Heaven
and Earth and whatever God has created of any sort, that perhaps their deadline
may be approaching? In what report will they believe later on? * Anyone whom God
lets go astray will have no guide; He leaves them groping along in their
arrogance.

* They may ask you about the Hour: "When will it arrive?' SAY "Knowledge
about it rests only with my Lord; He Alone will disclose it time. Things will
seem heavy in Heaven and Earth; it will simply come upon you all of a
sudden!"

They will even ask you as if you yourself were anxious about it. SAY
'Knowledge about it rests only with God, though most people do no realize it." *
SAY: "I control no advantage nor any disadvantage by myself except whatever God
may wish. If I had known the Unseen, I would have tried to increase (my share]
of good, while no evil would ever touch me. am merely a warner and newsbearer
for people who believe."

Man's Reproduction

(XXIV)* He is the One Who has created you (all) from a single soul, an made
its mate from it, so he may settle down with her. Once he has covered her, she
conceives a light burden and walks around [unnoticed with it; then when she
begins to feel heavy, they both appeal to God, their Lord: "if You will grant us
a healthy [child], we will be grateful."

Association

** Once He gives them a healthy child, they both set up associates for Him
despite what He has given them. Exalted is God over anything they may associate
[with Him]! * Do they associate something [with God] that has never created
anything, while they themselves have been created?

Idol Worship

* They cannot offer them any support nor can they even
assist themselves! * If you summon them to guidance, they will not follow you;
it is the same for you whether you appeal to them or keep silent: * "Those you
appeal to instead of to God are servants just like yourselves. Appeal to them so
they may respond to you if you are so truthful! ** Have they feet to walk with,
or hands to grasp things with, or eyes to see with, or ears to listen with?"

SAY: "Appeal to your associates [instead of to God]; then plot away against
me, and do not wait for me [to act]! * My Patron is God [Alone] who has sent
down the Book. He befriends the honorable * while those you appeal to instead of
Him cannot lend you any support nor do they even support themselves. * If you
summon them to guidance, they will not hear, and you will see them looking
towards you while they are [really] not seeing [anything]."

* Practise forgiveness, command decency; and avoid ignorant people.

*** If some urge from Satan should prompt you, seek refuge with God; He is
Alert, Aware. * The ones who perform their duty bear it in mind whenever some
impulse from Satan bothers them, and so they are granted insight. * Their
brethren will trail off into aimlessness; therefore do not interfere with
them.

* If you had not brought them any sign, they would (still) say: "Why didnt
you pick one out?" SAY: "I follow only what has been inspired in me by my Lord.
These are insights from Your Lord, as well as guidance and mercy for folk who
believe."

How to Listen to the Quran

* Whenever the Quran is being recited, listen to it [attentively] and hush,
so that you may receive mercy. ** Keep your Lord in mind within your own soul,
beseeching and fearfully, without raising your voice, both in the early morning
and in the evening; do not act so heedless!

* Those who are with your Lorddo not feel too proud to worship
Him;they glorify Him and drop downon their knees before
Him.

8. Booty (also called The Struggle)

THIS CHAPTER contains 75 verses from Madina arranged in ten sections; however
vv. 30-36 in Section IV date from Mecca. The chapter was revealed after The
Cow 2 and before The House of Imran 3.

It refers to events surrounding the battle of Badr in the year 2 / 624; this
occurred in hilly country about three days' camel journey from Madina on the
road southwest to Mecca in an action directed against a Meccan caravan financed
by Abu-Sufyan which was returning from Syria. This crisis occurred when 319
Muslims faced nearly one thousand Meccans, and it was decisive in the formation
of the new Islamic state. It is also known as the chapter of the "fighting
men."

The usual title comes from the problems discussed at the beginning of the
chapter concerning the disposal of the windfalls or spoils acquired in such
battles. God's support is promised in I, III and VIII. The Prophet is finally
assured that quality will overcome quantity during his trials (IX).The
Struggle is described in the final section (X). Forced migration has been
a serious problem from the beginning of Islam.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

True Believers

(I)*They will ask you about Booty. SAY: "Booty belongs
to God and the Messenger, so heed God and patch up any [differences] that may
stand between you. Obey God and His messenger if you are believers."

* Believers are merely those whose hearts feel wary whenever God is mentioned
and whose faith increases when His verses are recited to them. On their Lord do
they rely. * Those who keep up prayer and spend some of whatever We have
provided them with * are truly believers. They hold rank before their Lord, as
well as forgiveness and generous provision, ** just as your Lord sent you forth
from your home with the Truth, even though a group of believers disliked it. *
They will argue with you about the Truth even after it has been explained, just
as if they were only being driven along towards death and were expecting it.

* When God promised you that one of the two bands would be yours, you
preferred the one that had no weapons [to fall] to you, while God wanted the
Truth to be verified through His words and to cut off the last remnant of the
disbelievers * so He might verify the Truth and disprove falsehood no matter how
criminals might dislike it. * Thus you (all) implored your Lord. so He responded
to you: "I will reinforce you with a thousand angels riding up one after
another." ** God granted it merely as good tidings to calm your hearts. Support
comes only from God; God is Powerful, Wise.

(II) * Thus He caused drowsiness to overcome you as an assurance from Him,
and sent down water from the sky on you to cleanse you with and to remove
Satan's blight from you, and to bind up your hearts and brace your feet with it.
* So your Lord inspired the angels: "I am with you, so brace those who believe.
I shall cast panic into the hearts of those who disbelieve; so strike at the
nape of their necks and beat every [last] fingertip of theirs!"

Battle Tactics

* That is because they have split off from God and His messenger. Anyone who
splits off from God and His messenger [will find out] that God is Stern in
punishment. * That is [how it is], so taste it; disbelievers will have fiery
torment! ** You who believe, whenever you meet those who disbelieve, do not turn
your backs on them as they go marching along. * Anyone who turns his back on
them on such a day, except while maneuvering for battle or wheeling towards some
detachment, will incur wrath from God; his lodging will be Hell and how awful is
such a goal! * You (all) do not kill them but God kills them. You did not shoot
[anything] when you shot [arrows or spears] but God threw [them] so He may test
believers, as a handsome test from Himself. God is Alert, Wise. * That is [how
it is]; since God is the One Who will frustrate the disbelievers' plot.

* If you sought to conquer, then victory has already come to you. Yet if you
would only stop, it would be better for you; while if you do it over again, We
too shall do so again. Your detachment will not give you any advantage no matter
how numerous it is. God stands alongside believers.

(III) ** You who believe, obey God and His messenger; do not turn away
from Him while you are within earshot. * Do not be like those who say: "We have
heard," while they were not even listening.

* The worst animals before God are the deaf and dumb, those who do
not use their reason.

* If God had known about any good in them, He would have made them hear; yet
even though He were to make them hear, they would still turn away and shun
[Him]. * You who believe, respond to God and the Messenger whenever He invites
you to something that will make you live.

Know that God sups in
between a man and his heart, and to Him you will (all) be summoned.

* Do your duty lest dissension strike those of you
especially who do wrong. Know that God is Severe in punishment. * Remember when
you were so few, disdained as helpless souls on earth, fearing lest men would
kidnap you, and how He sheltered you and aided you with His support, and
provided you with wholesome things so that you might act grateful.

* You who believe, do not betray God and the Messenger, nor knowingly betray
your own trusts. * Know that your possessions and children are merely a trial,
while God holds a splendid wage.

(IV) * You who believe, if you heed God, He will grant you a Standard,
absolve your evil deeds for you, and forgive you. God possesses such splendid
bounty!

** Whenever those who disbelieve plot against you, to pin you down or kill
you or exile you, they plot away while God is plotting too, and God is the best
Plotter! * Whenever Our verses are recited to them. they say: "We have heard
(it) already; if we wished to, we'd say the same as this. These are only legends
by primitive people!" * When they say: "O God, if this is the Truth from You,
then rain down stones from Heaven on us, or give us painful torment!" * God is
not apt to punish them while you are among them, nor will God be their tormentor
so long as they seek forgiveness.

* What do they have, that God should not punish them for blocking off the
Hallowed Mosque while they are not its protectors? Its protectors are only the
heedful, even though most of them do not realize it. ** Their prayer at the
House consists only of whistling and clapping: "Taste torment since you have
disbelieved!" * Those who disbelieve spend their money to block off God's way.
They will go on spending it; then regret will be their lot. Next they will be
defeated and those who disbelieve will be summoned unto Hell * so God may sort
out the bad from the good and pile some of the bad on top of the rest, so He may
heap them all up together and drop them into Hell. Those will be the losers!

(V) * Tell those who disbelieve that anything they have done in the past will
be forgiven once they stop [doing so], while if they should ever do it over
again, the precedent with the earliest men has already been set. * Fight them
off until there is no more persecution, and Religion belongswholly to
God: yet if they do stop, then God is Observant of anything they do. ** If
they should turn away, then know that God is your Protector; how splendid such a
Protector is, and how favored is such a Supporter!

Part Ten

(V cont'd) * Know that with anything you may acquire as spoils, a Fifth of it
belongs to God and the Messenger, close relatives and orphans, paupers and the
wayfarer, if you believe in God and what We have sent down to Our servant on the
Day of Distinction, the day when both forces met. God is Capable of
everything.

The Battle Scene at Badr

* When you (all) were on the nearer bank and they were on the further bank,
and the baggage train was lower than you were, even if you had made [previous]
arrangements with one another, you would have failed to keep the appointment;
but [it happened] so God might settle a matter which had already been
determined, so that anyone who perished might perish in order to set an example,
and anyone who survived might (also) survive as an example. God is so Alert,
Aware! * When God pointed them out to you as a few in your dream, you (all)
would have felt discouraged and debated the matter even if He had shown you that
they were many; but God kept things safely in hand. He is Aware of whatever is
on your minds. * When He showed you them as a few in your eyes as you met, He
made you seem few in their eyes too, so God might settle a matter which had
already been determined. To God do matters return.

Facing Aggression

(VI) ** You who believe, whenever you meet with any armed force, hold firm
and remember God often, so that you may succeed. * Obey God and His messenger
and do not argue with one another, so that you will falter and lose your
courage. Show patience; God stands beside the patient. * Do not be like those
who left their homes recklessly and in order to be seen by everybody, and they
obstructed God's way. God is Embracing whatever they are doing.

* So Satan made their actions seem attractive to them, and said: 'There will
be no man who will overcome you today: I'll stand close by you." Yet as both
detachments sighted one another, he wheeled around on his heels and said: "I am
innocent of you; I see something you do not see! I fear God, and God is Severe
in punishment."

(VII) * Whenever hypocrites and those in whose hearts [there lurks] malice
say: "Their religion has lured these people on," anyone who relies on God [will
find] that God is Powerful, Wise. ** If you could only see when the angels
gather up [the souls of] those who disbelieve, striking their faces and backs:
"Taste the torment of the Blaze! * That is because of what your hands have sent
on ahead. Yet God is no One to harm any worshippers."

Philosophy of History

* In the case of Pharaoh's house as well as those who lived before them, they
disbelieved in God's signs, so God seized them for their offences. God is
Strong, Severe with punishment! * That is because God is no One to
alter any favor He has granted a folk unless they alter what they
themselves have. God is Alert, Aware. * In the case of Pharaoh's
house and those who lived before them, they had rejected their Lord's signs, so
We let them perish because of their offences and let Pharaoh's household drown.
They were all such wrongdoers! ** The worst animals for God are those who
disbelieve and do not even want to believe; * those with whom you have pledged
some undertaking, then they break their word in every case and do not heed.

Handing Treachery

* Should you encounter them in war, then use them
to frighten off anyone who comes in their rear, so that they may (all) learn a
lesson. * Should you fear treachery from any folk, confront them with it in
exactly the same manner. God does not love traitors.

(VIII)*Let not those who disbelieve reckon they will thus forge ahead; they
will not forestall a thing. ** Prepare any [military] strength you can muster
against them, and any cavalry posts with which you can overawe God's enemy and
your own enemy as well, plus others besides them whom you do not know. God
however knows them!

Anything you spend for God's sake will be repaid you, and you will not be
harmed. * If they should incline to peace, then incline to it too and rely on
God. He is Alert, Aware. * If they want to outwit you, then let God serve as
your [final] reckoning; He is the One Who aids you through his own
support and by means of believers. * He has united their hearts: even though you
spent everything on earth, you could never unite their hearts; but God has
united them. He is Powerful, Wise. * 0 Prophet, let God be your Reckoning, and
that of any believers who may follow you.

(IX) ** 0 Prophet, urge believers on to fight! If there are twenty
disciplined men among you, they will overcome two hundred, while if there are a
hundred of you, they will defeat a thousand of those who disbelieve, since those
are folk who do not understand. * Now God has lightened things for you; He knows
how much weakness exists among you. If there are a hundred patient men among
you, they will overcome two hundred, while if there are a thousand of you, they
will overcome two thousand with God's permission. God stands alongside the
disciplined.

* It is not proper for a Prophet to have any prisoners [of war] until he has
subdued [everyone] on earth. You (all) want worldly show while God wants the
Hereafter [for you]. God is Powerful, Wise. * Had it not been for a writ from
God that had come previously, awful torment might have afflicted you because of
what you have taken; * so (now) consume any lawful and wholesome thing out of
what you have captured, and heed God is Forgiving, Merciful.

(X) ** 0 Prophet, tell any captives who are in your hands: "If God knows of
any good in your hearts, He will give you something even better than what has
been taken away from you, as well as forgive you. God is Forgiving, Merciful." *
If they should want to betray you, they have already betrayed God previously, so
He has made them available. God is Aware, Wise.

Refugees

* Those who believe, and have migrated the struggled for God's sake
with their property and persons, as well as those who have given them asylum and
support, [will find] some of those are friends of one another. You do not owe
any protection to those who believe and have not migrated, until they become
refugees. If they should plead for support however from you concerning religious
matters, you must support them except against any folk with whom you have made a
treaty. God is Observant of anything you do. * Some of those who disbelieve are
allies of one another. Unless you [Muslims] do not do likewise, dissension will
exist on earth, and [cause] great havoc, * Those who believe and become
refugees, and struggle for God's sake, as well as those who grant them
asylum and support, are truly believers; they will have forgiveness and generous
provision. ** Those who believe later on, and migrate and struggle
alongside you are (also) part of you. [Nevertheless] some blood
relationships are closer to others according to God's writ. God is Aware if
everything!

9. Repentance (or Dispensation)

THIS CHAPTER contains 129 verses arranged in sixteen sections. They are all
from Madina except for the two final verses which date from the Farewell
Pilgrimage to Mecca (as does Chapter 110 on [Divine]Support).
This chapter was revealed after The Table 5 and the expedition to
Tabiik on the road to Damascus which occurred in A.H. 9 / 630 A.D., or two years
before the Prophet's death (VI,XIII). The alternate title of Dispensation
(OR Release) comes from v.1, while the main one of Repentance
(which is preferred by the great commentator Ibn-Kathir) is to be found in
VV. 5, 11 and 103. The battle of Hunayn which occurred in the year 8 / 630 is
discussed in sections XIII & XIV.

There is no invocation to this chapter since it is really a continuation of
the previous one on Booty 8, and the first verse invokes God's name. It
strongly advises us against associating other deities in our pure worship of God
Alone or the sin of idolatry, as it is called, and against trusting treacherous
neighbors. Associators should not visit mosques (III),while priests and
clergy are called unnecessary since God can be approached directly; likewise God
has no son (V). Charity is another theme which is discussed (VII-VIII),especially its use in missionary effort (VIII).

We also read biographical details about the Prophet's suffering during his
Transfer or the Hijra from Mecca to Yathrib, which was then to b called Madina
(the Enlightened City'-al-Madina al-Munawwara-or the Prophet's City'). We
likewise learn about his troubles in imposing a draft or military service,
especially on the rich (VII)and the nomads (XI-XII) which are described
in an especially vivid manner. Dissension had been stirred up by hypocritical
agitators and draft dodgers who went out among the fickle desert folk, The
Migrants or refugees similarly had their trouble in settling down in his new
capital of Madina. The ending is one of the last sections in the whole Quran to
be revealed.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * Dispensation [comes] from God and His messenger for those
associators with whom you have made a treaty: * travel around the earth for four
months, and realize that you (all) cannot escape from God. God will shame
disbelievers.

Treaty Rights

* [This is] a proclamation by God and His messenger for mankind [assembled]
on the day of the greater Pilgrimage, to wit: God may dissolve treaty
obligations with associators and [so may] His messenger. If you repent,
then it will be better for you; while if you turn aside, know that you
cannot escape from God. Announce painful torment to those who disbelieve, *
except for those associators with whom you have already made a treaty; provided
they have not failed you in any respect nor backed up anyone against you. Fulfil
any treaty [you have] with them until their period is up. God loves those who do
their duty!

** When the hallowed months have slipped away, then fight associators
wherever you may find them; take them and besiege them, and waylay them at every
outpost. If they should repent, keep up prayer and pay the welfare tax,
then let them go their way. God is Forgiving, Merciful. * If one of the
associators should ask you for protection, then grant him asylum until he has
heard God's word. Later on escort him to where he can find safety. That is
because they are folk who do not know anything.

(II) * How can there be any treaty with associators on the part of God and
His messenger, except for those with whom you have ratified one at the Hallowed
Mosque? So long as they act straightforwardly with you, be straightforward with
them. God loves those who do their duty! * How, if they should overcome you,
will they honor any pact or obligation with you? They seek to please you in
whatever they say while their hearts refuse to. Most of them are immoral: * they
have bought up God's signs for a paltry price, and obstructed His way. How evil
is what they have been doing! ** They honor no pact nor any obligation with a
believer; those are aggressors! * Yet if they should repent, keep up
prayer and pay the welfare tax, then [they may be) your brethren in religion. We
spell out signs for folk who know.

* If they should violate their trust once they have sworn it, and insult your
religion, then fight the leaders of disbelief; they have no faith to make them
stop. * Will you not fight folk who have violated their trust and intended to
exile the Messenger? They attacked you first! Are you afraid of them? You ought
to be even more afraid of God if you are believers. * Fight them, so God may
punish them at your hands and disgrace them, and support you against them, and
heal the breasts of believing folk, ** and remove the fury from their hearts.
God turns to anyone He wishes; God is Aware, Wise. * Or do you reckon you will
be abandoned once God knows which of you have struggled, and did not adopt
anyone as an ally besides God, His messenger and believers? God is Informed
anything you do.

Associators Should Not Visit Mosques

(III) * Associators must not frequent God's mosques since they act as
witnesses for their own disbelief. Those [people will find] their actions will
miscarry and they will remain for ever in the Fire. * Only someone who believes
in God and the Last Day, keeps up prayer, pays the welfare tax and dreads only
God [Alone], shall frequent God's mosques. Perhaps those may be the ones who
submit to guidance.

* Have you made those giving pilgrims something to drink a care of the
Hallowed Mosque just like someone who believes in God and the Last Day, and
struggles on for God's sake? They are not equal before God; God does not guide
such wrongdoing folk! ** Those who believe and migrate, and struggle for God's
sake with their property and person stand much higher in rank with God. Those
will be triumphant! * Their Lord proclaims mercy and approval from Himself for
them, and gardens where they will have lasting bliss * to live in for ever and
ever; with God there lies a splendid wage.

The Proper Use of Property and Wealth

* You who believe, do not take your fathers and your brothers on as sponsors
if they prefer disbelief rather than faith. Anyone of you who enlists them as
sponsors are wrongdoers. * SAY: "If your fathers, your sons, your
brothers, your spouses and your family ties, as well as the wealth you have
acquired and the business you dread will fall off, plus the dwellings you are so
fond of, are all dearer to you than God and His messenger, or striving for His
sake, then wait around till God brings His command to pass. God does not guide
such immoral folk!

(IV) ** God has supported you on many battlefields and the day of Hunayn when
our own numbers amazed you; yet it did not spare you in any way and the earth
seemed cramped for you, spacious as it is. Then you fell back in retreat. * Next
God sent His serenity down upon His messenger and on believers; He sent down
armies you did not even see and punished those who disbelieved. Such is the
reward for disbelievers.

Lightning

* Then later on God will turn towards anyone He wishes. God is Forgiving,
Merciful. * You who believe, associators are nothing but filthy, so they should
not approach the Hallowed Mosque after this year that they still have. If you
should fear destitution, God will enrich you out of His bounty if He so wishes.
God is Aware, Wise. * Fight the ones among those who were given the Book who do
not believe in God nor the Last Day, nor forbid whatever God and His messenger
have forbidden, nor profess the True Religion, until they pay the polltax of
their own accord and act submissive.

God Has No Son

(V) ** Jews say: "Ezra was God's son," while Christians say: "Christ was
God's son." That is what they say with their mouths, imitating what those have
said who disbelieved before them. May God fight them off for what they have
trumped up! * They have adopted their scholars and monks as lords instead of
God, plus Christ, the son of Mary. Yet they have been ordered to serve only God
Alone; there is no deity except Him. Glory be to Him ahead of whatever they may
associate [with Him]! * They want to blow out God's light with their mouths
while God refuses [everything] except that His light must be perfected, no
matter how disbelievers may hate it. * He is the One Who has sent His messenger
with guidance and the True Religion so He may cause it to prevail over all
[other] religion, no matter how associators may hate it.

Clergy are Branded

* You who believe, many [Jewish] scholars and [Christian] monks do consume
people's wealth to no good purpose and they obstruct God's way. Announce painful
torment to those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend them for God's sake.
** Some day [these metals] will be heated up in Hell fire, so their foreheads,
sides and backs may be branded with it: "This is what you have hoarded up for
yourselves, so taste what you have been hoarding!"

The Hijra Or Sacred Year

* The number of months with God is twelve: [they were] in God's book on the
day He created Heaven and Earth. Out of them, four are sacred; such is the
established religion. Do not harm yourselves during them, yet fight associators
to a finish, just as they fight you to a finish. Know that God stands by the
heedful. * Postponing it will only [lead to] an increase in [their] disbelief.
those who disbelieve are led astray by it; they permit it one year and ban it
another year so they make up for any number that God has forbidden and (even)
permit something God has forbidden. Their evil actions seem attractive to them,
although God does not guide disbelieving folk.

Draft Dodging

(VI) * You who believe, what is wrong with you when you are told: 'March off
in God's cause!"? Do you feel weighted down to the ground? Are you more
satisfied with worldly life than with the [prospect of the] Hereafter? The
comfort of worldly life will mean so little in the Hereafter. * Unless you march
away, He will punish you with painful torment and substitute you with some other
folk. You will not harm Him in any way, for God is Capable of everything!

** If you do not support him, well God did support him when those who
disbelieved expelled him as the second of two, when they were both in the Cave,
as he told his companion: "Do not worry; for God is with us." So God sent His
serenity down on him and aided him with troops you did not see, and placed the
word of those who disbelieved lowest, while God's word remained supreme. God is
Powerful, Wise.

God

* March forth light or heavy [-armed], and strive in God's cause with your
property and persons. That will be best for you if you only realize it. * If
there had been some goods to be acquired closer by and on a shorter journey,
they would have followed you; but the expedition seemed much too far for them.
They will swear by God; "If we could have managed to, we would have left along
with you (all)." They destroy their own souls while God knows what liars they
are!

(VII)*May God pardon you! Why did you permit them to do so
before it was explained to you which ones were truthful so you might recognize
the liars? * Those who believe in God and the Last Day do not ask you to excuse
them from striving with their property and persons. God is Aware as to who are
heedful. ** Only those who do not believe in God and the Last Day ask you to
excuse them. Their hearts are in such doubt that they even waver in their
doubt!

Agitators

* If they had wanted to sally forth, they would have made some preparation
for it; but God disliked their being delegated to do so, so He let them lag
behind. They were told: "Sit around among the shirkers!" * Even if they had left
with you, they would only have meant more turmoil for you; they would have
galloped in among you and stirred up dissension for you. Among you there were
some who would listen to them. God is Aware of those who do wrong. * They have
already sown such dissension previously and upset matters for you until Truth
came along and God's command prevailed no matter how they hated it.

* Among them someone may say: "Leave me alone and do not stir me up." Have
they not already fallen into dissension? Hell will engulf dis-believers! ** If
some fine thing happens to you, it bothers them, while misfortune happens to
you, they say: 'We already took our matter in had previously." They stalk away
rejoicing. * SAY:"Nothing will ever happen to us unless God has
prescribed it." He is our Protector, and on God [Alone] should believers rely."
* SAY: "Are you expecting only one of out two fine things for us, while we are
expecting you to have God afflict you with torment from His very presence or at
our hands? So wait around we are waiting along with you."

* SAY:"Spend either willingly or unwillingly, it will never be
accepted from you, since you have been such immoral folk." * The reason that
prevents them from having their expenditures accepted from them is merely that
they have disbelieved in God and His messenger and do not come to pray except
when they are lazy, nor do they spend anything [on charity or taxes] unless they
are reluctant. ** Do not let their wealth nor children astonish you; God only
wants to punish them by means of them during worldly life and for their souls to
perish while they are disbelievers.

* They swear by God that they are with you while they do not stand with you,
but are a folk who are easily scared off. * If they should find some refuge or
some caverns, or an entrance they could creep into, they would bolt away!

* Some of them criticize you concerning the [distribution of] charity. If
they are given some of it, they are pleased, while if they are not given any,
why they act resentful. * If they had only been pleased with what God and His
messenger have given them, and said: 'God is our Reckoning. God and His
messenger will give us something out of His bounty. We are beseeching fit] from
God."

Charity (cont'd)

(VIII) ** Charity is [meant] only for the poor, the needy, those working at
[collecting and distributing] it, those [possible converts] whose hearts are
being reconciled [to yours], for freeing captives and debtors, and in [striving
along] God's way, and for the wayfarer, as a duty imposed by God. God is Aware,
Wise.

* There are some (people] who annoy the Prophet by saying: "He's (all) ears!"
SAY: '[He's] an ear for good for you! He believes in God and believes for the
believers' sake, and is a mercy for any of you who do believe.' Those who annoy
God's messenger will have painful torment. * They swear by God for you just to
please you (all). It is more correct to please God and His messenger if they are
[really] believers, * Do they not know that anyone who places any limits on God
and His messenger will have Hell fire to remain in for ever? That will be an
awful disgrace!

Hypocrites

* Hypocrites act anxious lest a chapter be sent down for them to notify them
as to what is in their hearts. SAY: 'Joke away: God will produce what you are so
anxious about." ** If you question them, they say: 'We have only been toying
(with words) and playing around." SAY: "Have you been joking about God, and His
signs and His messengers

Turncoats

* Make no excuses! You have disbelieved following your
profession of faith. If We should pardon one faction of you, we will punish
another faction since they have been such criminals.

(IX) * Hypocrites, whether men or women, resemble one another: they command
wickedness, forbid decency, and clench their fists. They have forgotten God, so
He has forgotten them. Hypocrites are so immoral! * God has promised hypocrites,
whether they are men or women, as well as [outright] disbelievers, Hell fire to
live in for ever: it will be their reckoning. God has cursed them, and they will
have constant torment.

* Just as those before them were firmer than you are in strength, and
possessed more wealth and children, and they exploited their advantage, even so
have you sought to enjoy your opportunity, just as those who came before you
enjoyed their advantage. You have talked a lot just as they have talked on and
on. Yet those [will find] their actions will miscarry in this world and the
Hereafter; those will be the losers! ** Has not the story come to them about
those who preceded them, Noah's folk, and Ad's and Thamiid's, and Abraham's folk
and the inhabitants of Midian and the Overthrown [Towns]? Their messengers
brought them clear explanations; it was not God Who injured them, but they
themselves who inflicted the injury.

* Believers, whether men or women, must [act as] friends to one another; they
should command decency and forbid wickedness, keep up prayer, and pay the
welfare tax as well as obey God and His messenger. Those God will grant mercy
to; God is Powerful, Wise! * God has promised believers, whether they are men or
women, gardens through which rivers flow to live in for ever, and goodly
dwellings in the gardens o Eden. Yet approval by God is test; that will be the
supreme Achievement!

(X) * 0 Prophet, struggle with disbelievers and hypocrites; deal harshly with
them: their lodging will be Hell, and how awful is such a destination. * They
swear by God they have said nothing while they did pronounce the word of
disbelief, they disbelieve after their commitment to [live in] peace; and worry
over what they do not accomplish. How spitefully they act merely because God and
His messenger have enriched them out of His bounty. If they should repent,
it would be better for them; while if they turn back again, God will punish
them with painful torment in this world and the Hereafter. They will have no
sponsor nor any supporter on earth.

** Some of them have pledged to God: "If He gives us some of His bounty, we
will act charitably and be loyal." * Yet whenever He has given them some of His
bounty, they have acted miserably with it: they turn away and become evasive; *
so He planted hypocrisy in their hearts till the day when they will meet Him
because they broke their word to God which they had promised Him and for how
they had been lying.

* Do they not realize that God knows their secrets and their intrigue, and
that God is the Knower of Unseen things? * May God scoff at those who criticize
such believers as dedicate themselves to charitable works those who do not find
anything [to offer] except their own effort, so they scoff at them too. They
will have painful torment. ** Seek forgiveness for them or else do not seek
forgiveness for them; even if you sought forgiveness for them seventy times
over, God would never pardon them. That is because they disbelieve in God and
His messenger. God does not guide immoral folk.

Shirkers Again

(XI) * Those who were left behind are delighted to sit around inactive behind
God's messenger, and they hate to struggle in God's way with their property and
persons. They say: 'Don't march off in such heat!" SAY: 'Hell fire will be even
hotter," if they could only understand.

* Let them laugh a little and weep a lot as a reward for what they have been
earning. * If God should send you back to a faction of them, a they should ask
you for permission to sally forth, SAY: "You will never march forth with me, nor
fight any enemy alongside me! You were satisfied to sit around inactive in the
first instance, so sit around [now] with the stay-behinds."

* Never pray over any of them who dies nor stand at his graveside: they have
disbelieved in God and His messenger, and died while they were rebellious. ** Do
not let their wealth and children astonish you; God only wants to punish them by
means of them during this world, and let their souls perish while they are
disbelievers.

* Whenever a chapter is sent down saying: "Believe in God and struggle
alongside His messenger," influential persons among them ask you to exempt them
and say [instead]: 'Let us stay with those who are just sitting around." * They
are so pleased to be among the stay-behinds. It is stamped on their hearts so
they do not understand; * but the Messenger and those who believe along with
him, do struggle with their property and persons. Those will have even better
things; such will be successful! * God has prepared gardens through which rivers
will flow for them to live in forever; that will be the supreme Achievement!

Nomads

(XII) **Excuse-makers have come from the desert Arabs to beg off for
them. Those who tell lies before God and His messenger have merely sat around
(at home). Painful torment will afflict those of them who disbelieve. * Yet it
will not be held against the helpless nor the sick, nor those who cannot find
anything to spend [on God's cause], provided they act sincerely towards God and
His messenger; there is no way [open] against those who act kindly since God is
Forgiving, Merciful. * Nor [will it be held] against those whom you told, when
they came for you to transport them: "I do not find any means of transporting
you." They turned away, and their eyes were welling up with tears from sadness
since they could not find any way to provide for their expenses. * A way is
[open] only against those who beg you to exempt them while they are rich; they
are satisfied to be [numbered] among those who stay behind. God has placed a
stamp on their hearts while they do not realize it.

PART ELEVEN

(XII cont'd) * They will apologize to you when you (all) return to them.
SAY:"Don't apologize; we will never believe you! God has already
notified us concerning everything about you. God and His messenger will see how
you act; then you will be sent back to the Knower of the Unseen and the visible,
and he will notify you about whatever you have been doing."

** They will swear [anything] to you by God when you go back home to them,
provided you will overlook them. Overlook them anyhow: they are a blight and
their lodging will be Hell as a compensation for what they have been earning. *
They swear to you so you will (all) feel satisfied with them. Even if you should
approve of them, God is still not pleased with such immoral folk. * Desert Arabs
are quite stubborn when it comes to disbelief and hypocrisy, and the least
inclined to acknowledge the limits that God has revealed to His messenger; yet
God is Aware, Wise. * Some desert tribesmen assume that anything they spend [in
taxes] is a fine, and they try to catch you in some reverses. On them will fall
the worst reversed. God is Alert, Aware.

* Still other desert Arabs believe in God and the Last Day, and consider
anything that is spent as a means of access to God and the Messengers prayers.
Yet are they indeed not such an access for them? God will admit them into His
mercy; God is Forgiving, Merciful!

(XIII) *** Pioneers comprise the first Migrants and Supporters, as well as
those who have adhered to them by showing any kindness. God is pleased with
them, while they are pleased with Him; He has prepared gardens through which
rivers flow for them to remain in for ever. That will mean the supreme
Achievement!

* Some desert Arabs around you are hypocrites as well as some of the people
from Madina; they even persist in hypocrisy. You do not know them; however We
know them. We shall punish them twice; then they will be handed over to terrible
torment.

* Others have acknowledged their offences. They have mixed upon honorable
action with another evil one. Perhaps God will relent towards them; for God is
Forgiving, Merciful. * Accept charity out of their wealth you will cleanse and
purify them by means of it. Pray for them; your prayers will mean relief for
them. God is Alert, Aware. * Do they not know that it is God Who receives
Repentance from His servants and accepts such acts of charity, and that
God is the Ever-Turning, the Merciful?

** SAY: "Work away; God will see your labor, and so will His messenger and
believers. You will be brought back to the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible,
and He will notify you about how well you have been working." * Others are still
expecting [to receive] God's command, [and to see] whether He will punish them
or relent towards them. God is Aware, Wise.

* Those who adopt a mosque for [working] mischief and disbelief, as well as
disunion among believers and as an outpost for anyone who has already warred on
God and His messenger, will swear: "We only wanted to be kind!" God witnesses
what sort of liars they are, * Never stand in it! It is more fitting for you to
stand in a mosque which has been founded on performing one's duty from the very
first day in which there are men who love to be purified, God loves those who
cleanse themselves.

Always Build Firmly

* Is someone who founds his building on heeding and pleasing God better, or
someone who founds his building along the edge of a crumbling bluff, so it
crumbles along with him into Hell fire? God does not guide such wrongful folk:
** the building which they have built is continually in doubt within their
hearts, till their hearts are torn pieces. God is Aware, Wise!

The Believers' Reward

(XIV) * God has bought up their persons and their property from believers, so
they may have the Garden [instead). They fight for God's sake; they
kill and are killed as a rightful promise from Him [to be found] in
the Old Testament, the Gospel and the Quran. Who is more Trustworthy with His
word than God? So rejoice in your bargain which you have reached with Him. That
will be the supreme Achievement * [for] those who repent, worship, praise
[God], observe fasting, bow their heads and knees [in prayer], those who command
decency, forbid wickedness, and keep within God's limits; spread such news to
believers. * It is not proper for the Prophet and those who believe to seek
forgiveness for associators, even though they are close relatives, once it has
been explained to them how they will become the inmates of Hades.

* Abraham pleaded for forgiveness on behalf of his father only because of a
promise he had made to him. When it became clear to him that he was God's enemy,
he declared his innocence of him. Abraham was concerned, lenient. ** God is not
apt to let any folk go astray once He has guided them to the point where He
explains to them how they should do their duty. God is Aware of everything. *
God holds control over Heaven and Earth. He both grants life and brings death,
while you (all) have no patron nor any supporter besides Him,

* God has relented towards the Prophet, and the Refugees an porters who
followed him in the hour of hardship, after the heart group of them had almost
faltered; then He turned towards them, for He is Compassionate, Merciful, with
them. As for the three who we behind, until the earth seemed too cramped for
them, spacious thou and even their souls seemed to strangle them and they
thought there be no refuge from God except through Himself-, then He relented
towards them so they might repent. God is Ever-Turning,
Merciful.

(XV) * You who believe, heed God and stand by those who are truthful. **
It is not for the people of Madina nor any desert Arabs who (live) around
them, to lag behind God's messenger nor to prefer themselves ahead of himself.
That is so no thirst would afflict them, nor any stress nor starvation along
God's way, nor would they adopt any stand which irritate disbelievers, nor gain
any acquisition from an enemy, unless some honorable action were recorded for
them because of it.

God does not waste the wages of those who act kindly, * They could not
provide for any outlay small or great, nor cut across a valley unless it were
prescribed for them, so that God may reward them for the finest things they have
been doing. * Believers should not march forth in a body; if a squadron from
each division of them should march forth, they should still instruct [others] in
religion and warn their folk when they return to them so that they may take
precautions.

(XVI) * You who believe, fight any disbelievers who hem you in so they may
find out how tough you are. Know that God stands by the heedful. * Whenever a
chapter is sent down, some of them say: "Which of you has this increased in
faith?" Well, it increases those who believe in faith and so they rejoice. ** As
for those whose hearts contain malice, well it adds squalor to their own
squalor. They will die while they are (still) disbelievers.

* Do they not see how they are being tested once or twice each year? Yet they
neither repent nor do they remember. * Whenever a chapter is sent down,
some of them look at one another [as if to say]: "Is anyone watching you?" Then
they slip away. God has slipped their hearts away since they are a folk who do
not comprehend.

* A Messenger has come to you from among yourselves; he takes seriously how
you have come to grief, is anxious about you, compassionate, merciful towards
believers.

* If they should turn away, then SAY:

"God is enough for me!There
is no deity except Him;on Him do I rely.He is the Lord of the mighty
Throne!"

10. Jonah

THIS CHAPTERwas revealed after Eventide 103 and before Hud
[theMessenger] 11which immediately follows it. It is the
first of a group of fivechapters which all begin with the initials "A.
L. M." (10, 11, 12, 14, 15), just as the second and third chapters and the 29th
to the 32nd begin with "A. L. M." Chapter 13 has the combination "A. L. M. R."

This consists of 109 late Meccan verses arranged in eleven sections; except
for vv. 40, 49, 59 and 96 which date from Madina. It begins with a description
of how the world was created. The prophet Jonah is mentioned only in section X;
a fuller story of the prophet Jonah is actually given in 37:X, and he is
mentioned again in 21:VI and 68:II.There is a close connection with the
previous chapter, 9, because this one rounds off its contents and shows how
God's mercy predominates.

The sin of Association is taken up in Sections II, III and XI; rain from
Heaven in III; the Quran in IV; personal responsibility, and the different
nations in V; and freewill and tolerance in X. The chapter also is concerned
with Truth (III, IV,VIII,XI). At the end of Section VII we are told emphatically
that God has no son. Noah and Moses are other prophets who are discussed in
VIII.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * A. L. R.

These are verses from the Wise Book. * Does it seem astonishing to mankind
that We should inspire a man from among themselves: "Warn mankind, and spread
news to those who believe that they are on a sound footing with their Lord"?
Disbelievers say: "This is an obvious magician."

Creation OR Cosmogony

* Your Lord is God [Alone], Who created Heaven and Earth in six days. Then he
ascended the Throne to regulate the matter. There is no intercessor until He
gives permission [for it]. Such is God, your Lord, so worship Him. Will you not
reflect? * To Him will you all return. God's promise is true; He begins with
creation then performs it all over again so He may reward those who believe and
perform honorable deeds in (all) fairness. Those who disbelieve will have
scalding water to drink and painful torment because they have been disbelieving.

** He it is Who has placed the sun for radiance and the moon for (reflected)
light, and measured it out in phases so you may know how to count out the years
and [to make other such] reckoning. God did not create that except for the
Truth. He spells out signs for folk who know.

* In the alternation between night and daytime, and whatever God has created
in Heaven and Earth, there are signs for folk who heed.

* Those who do not expect to meet Us and are pleased with worldly life, and
feel at ease about it, as well as those who are heedless of Our signs * will
find their lodging in the Fire because of what they have been earning. * Their
Lord guides those who believe and perform honorable deeds according to their
faith: rivers will flow beneath them in gardens of delight; ** their cry in it
will be:

"Glory be to You, 0 God!",while their greeting in it will be:" Peace!
"and the close of their appeal:Praise be to God, Lord of the
Universe!"

The Arrogant

(II) * If God were to hasten up evil for mankind just as they seek to hasten
good, then their deadline would have been decreed for them. We leave those who
do not hope to meet Us groping along in their arrogance. * Whenever any trouble
touches man, he appeals to Us while [lying] on his side, seated, or standing;
yet when We remove his trouble from him, he walks away as if he had never
appealed to Us (at all) because of the trouble which had afflicted him. Thus
anything they have been doing seems attractive to the dissipated.

Facing Trouble

* We have destroyed generations before you when they
did wrong and their messengers had brought them explanations, and they would
still not believe. Thus We reward criminal folk. * Then We placed you as
overlords on earth after them, so We might see how you would act.

Skeptics

** When Our clear signs are recited to those who do not expect to meet Us,
they say: "Bring some other Reading than this, or else change it!" SAY: "It is
not up to me to change it of my own accord, because of whatever I may encounter
in it on my own. I merely follow what is inspired in me. I fear torment on an
awful day if I should disobey my Lord!"

* SAY: "If God had so wished, I would not have recited it to you nor advised
you about it. I lived for a lifetime among you before [receiving] it. So will
you not use your reason?" * Who is more in the wrong than someone who invents a
lie about God or rejects His signs? It is a fact that criminals will not
succeed!

Association as a Sin

* Instead of God they serve what neither harms nor benefits them, and they
say: "These are our intercessors with God." SAY: "Do you [presume to] notify God
about something in Heaven and on Earth that He already does not know? Glory be
to Him; Exalted is He over whatever they associate [with Him]!"

* Mankind was once just one nation; then they disagreed. If word had not come
on ahead from your Lord, what they had been disagreeing over would have been
settled for them. ** They say: "If a sign were only sent down by his Lord for
him!"; SO SAY: "The Unseen belongs only to God, so wait: I am waiting alongside
you."

(III) * Whenever We let mankind taste mercy after some adversity has
afflicted them, why they cook up some scheme about Our signs! SAY: "God is much
Swifter in scheming." Our messengers write down whatever they are plotting.

* He is the One Who sends you travelling along on land and at sea until when
you are on board a ship, and sailing along under a fair wind and they feel happy
about it, a stormy wind comes upon them and waves reach at them from all sides
and they think they are being surrounded by them. They appeal to God sincerely,
(offering their] religion to Him: "If You will save us from this, we will be
grateful!"

* Yet once He has saved them, why they act willfully on earth without any
right to [do so). Mankind, your willfulness falls only on yourselves to be
enjoyed during worldly life; then to Us will be your return. and We will notify
you (all) about whatever you have been doing!

Rain from Heaven

* Worldly life may be compared to water We send down from the sky. It
mingles with the plants of the earth on which mankind and livestock feed until,
when the earth takes on its trimmings and looks attractive, and its people think
that they will be able to use them as they like, Our command comes along to it
by night or daytime, and We mow it down ahead of time just as though it had not
been so lush the day before. Thus We spell out signs for folk who will think
things over.

The Final Judgement

** God invites [us] to the Home of Peace, and guides anyone He wishes to, to
a Straight Road. * Those who act kindly will have kindness and even more
besides, while neither soot nor any disgrace will fine their faces. Those will
be inhabitants of the Garden; they will live in it for ever.* Those who have
acquired evil deeds will have an evil reward similar to them. Disgrace will
overshadow them; they will have no defender from God, just as if their faces had
been covered with a strip of darkest night. Those will become inmates of the
Fire; they will live there for ever.

Associates Will Renounce Their Own Worship

* Some day We will summon them all together; then We shall tell those who
have associated [others in Our worship]; "[Keep to] your place, you and your
associates!" We will sort them out, and their associates will say: 'You did not
worship us! * God suffices as a Witness between us and you. We were unaware that
you were even worshipping us." ** There each soul will be tested for whatever it
has sent on ahead in the past, and they will be handed over to God, their
rightful Patron. Anything they have invented will leave them in the lurch.

God

(IV) * SAY: 'Who provides for you out of Heaven and Earth? Who controls
hearing and eyesight? Who brings the living forth from the dead, and brings the
dead forth from the living? Who regulates the affair?"

They will say: "God [Alone]"; SO SAY: "Will you not then do your duty?" *
Such is God, your rightful Lord!

Truth

* What exists except error after Truth, so why do you disregard it? * Thus
your Lord's word proves itself to be true with those who act immorally. They do
not believe. * SAY: "Has any of your associates ever attempted to create
anything, then repeated it?" SAY: "God begins with creation, then performs it
(all over again). How is it that you shrug it off?" ** SAY: "Does any of your
partners guide one to Truth?" SAY: "God guides to Truth. So is someone who
guides to Truth worthier to be followed than someone who does not guide unless
he himself is guided? What is the matter with you? How do you decide things?"

* Most of them merely follow conjecture. However guessing is no
substitute for Truth.God is Aware of whatever they are
doing.

The Quran

* This Reading was not invented by anyone except God; but [it exists] as a
confirmation from the Lord of the Universe for what He already has and [serves]
as an analysis of the Book which contains no doubt. * Or do they say: "He has
made it Up!"? SAY: "Produce a chapter like it, and appeal to anyone you can
manage to besides God if you are so truthful."

* Instead they reject what they cannot grasp any knowledge about,
[especially] when its interpretation has never come to them. Likewise those
before them rejected [it]; so watch how the outcome will be for wrongdoers! **
Some of them believe in it while others do not believe in it. Your Lord is quite
Aware as to who are corrupt.

(V) * If they should reject you, then SAY: "My behavior is my own concern,
while your behavior is your concern. You are innocent of anything I do, while I
am innocent of what you are doing."

Personal Responsibility

* Some of them however do listen to you. Yet can you make the deaf hear, even
though they do not use their reason? * Others of them will look towards you. Yet
will you guide the blind, no matter how they do not see? * God does not harm
mankind in any way, but men do harm themselves. ** Some day He will summon them;
it will be as if they had merely been hanging around for an hour during
daylight. They will recognize one another. Those who have denied they will meet
God will lose out and never be guided. * Whether We show you some of what We
have promised them or let you pass away [instead], to Us is their return;
moreover God will be a Witness for whatever they have been doing.

Nations

* Every nation has a messenger. Once their messenger has come, judgment will
be passed upon them in all fairness and they will not be wronged. * They will
say: "When will this promise be, if you have been so truthful?" * SAY: "I
control no harm nor any advantage by myself, except concerning whatever God may
wish.

Each nation has a deadline: whenever their deadline comes, they will
not postpone it for an hour nor will they advance it.

** SAY: "Have you considered whether His torment will come to you (all) dead
of night or by daylight? What part of it will criminals try to hurry up? * Yet
now when it is happening, will you believe in it? Still you were just trying to
hurry it on!"

* Then those who have done wrong will be told: "Taste the torment of
eternity. Have you not been rewarded merely with something you have earned?" *
They will, inquire from you: "Is it true?" SAY: "Indeed, by my Lord. it is true!
You cannot avert it."

(VI) * Even though each person who has done something wrong had everything on
earth, he would still try to ransom himself with it. They will conceal regret
once they see the torment. Judgment will be passed upon them in all fairness,
and they will not be wronged. ** Does God not possess whatever is in Heaven and
Earth? Is not God's promise true? Yet most of them do not realize it. * He gives
life and brings about death, and to Him will you (all) return.

* 0 mankind, instruction has been given you by your Lord, and healing for
whatever is in your breasts, plus guidance and mercy for believers. * SAY: "In
God's bounty and mercy, therein let them rejoice. It is better than what they
are collecting." * SAY: "Have you considered what sort of sustenance God has
sent down to you, and what you have been forbidden and permitted?" SAY: "Has God
allowed you it or are you inventing something about God?" ** What will be the
thought of those who invent a lie about God, on Resurrection Day? God possesses
bounty for mankind, yet most of them are not grateful."

(VII) * No matter what business you may be engaged in as well as whatever you
may quote from any reading, you (all) do not perform any action unless we act as
Witness for you when you are occupied with it. No atom's weight escapes your
Lord on Earth nor in Heaven, nor anything smaller than that nor larger, unless
it is [recorded] in a plain Book. * God's adherents should have no fear nor need
they worry. * Those who believe and have done their duty * will have good news
concerning worldly life as well as about the Hereafter. There is no way to alter
God's words; that will be the supreme Achievement.

** Do not let their talk sadden you; prestige rests entirely with God. He is
the Alert, Aware. * Does not anyone in Heaven and anyone on Earth belong to God?
What do those follow, who appeal to associates instead of to God? They merely
follow conjecture and they are only guessing. * He is the One Who has granted
you night to settle down in, and daylight to see your way around. In that are
signs for folk who listen.

God Needs No Son

* They say: "God has adopted a son." Glory be to Him! He is Transcendent. He
holds whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth!

Do you have any authority for this? Are you saying something you do not know
about God? * SAY: "Those who invent such a lie about God will not prosper." **
Enjoyment is [meant] for this world; then to Us will be their return. Then We
will let them taste severe torment because of how they have disbelieved.

Noah

(VIII) * Quote Noah's story to them when he told his people: 'My people, if
my staying around here bothers you and my reminding you about God's signs, well
I rely on God, so make your designs on me and those you have associated [with
God]; then do not let your business seem so gloomy. Next decide about me, and do
not put me off. * So should you turn away, I have not asked you for any payment;
my payment comes only from God, and I have been ordered to become a Muslim."

* Yet they still rejected him, so We saved him and whoever was in the Ark
along with him. We set them up as survivors and drowned those who had rejected
Our signs. Watch how the outcome will be for those who were warned!

* Then We dispatched messengers to their people later on, and they brought
explanations with them. Still they were not going to believe in something they
had already rejected; thus We seal off the hearts of the defiant.

Moses and Aaron

** Next We sent Moses and Aaron after them with Our signs for Pharaoh and his
councilors. Yet they acted proudly and were criminal folk. * When Truth came to
them from Our very presence, they said: 'This is sheer magic!" * Moses said: "Do
you say about Truth when it has come to you: 'Is this magic?' Magicians never
prosper." * They said: 'Have you come to us to turn us away from what we found
our forefathers doing? And so greatness on earth may belong to both of you? We
do not believe in either of you." * Pharaoh said: "Bring me every cunning
magician!"

The Tournament of Magic

** When the magicians came, Moses told them: "Cast whatever you are going to
cast." * When they cast [it], Moses said: "What you have produced is magic. God
will cancel it out; God does not promote the work of mischief-makers. * God
verifies the Truth through His own words no matter how criminals may hate it."

(IX) * Only some offspring among his own folk believed in Moses because of
fear for Pharaoh and his councillors, lest he might put them to some test.
Pharaoh was so haughty on earth and besides he was a dissipated man. * Moses
said: "My people, if you believe in God, then rely on Him if you are Muslims."
** They said: "On God do we rely. Our Lord, do not turn us into a trial for
wrongdoing folk! * Save us through Your mercy from such disbelieving folk!"

* So We inspired Moses and his brother [as follows]: "Settle your people down
in houses in Egypt and turn your houses into shrines; keep up prayer and
announce good news to believers." * Moses said: "Our Lord, You have given
Pharaoh and his councillors splendor and wealth during worldly life. Our Lord,
is it so they may lead [us] off from Your way? Our Lord, wipe out their wealth
and firm up their hearts so they may not believe until they see painful
torment." * He said: "Your appeal has been answered, so act straightforward and
do not follow along the way of those who do not know."

** So We brought the Children of Israel across the sea. Pharaoh and his
armies had them followed in hot pursuit and fought [them] off until, as drowning
overtook him, he said: 'I believe that there is no deity except the One Whom the
Children of Israel believe in. I am [now] a Muslim."

* Now, you had disobeyed before and been a mischief-maker! * However today We
will preserve you in your body so you may be a sign to anyone who comes after
you. Yet many people are quite heedless of Our signs.

(X) * We settled the Children of Israel in a respectable dwelling and
provided them with wholesome things. They did not disagree until knowledge came
to them. Your Lord will decide among them on Resurrection Day concerning
whatever they have been disagreeing about.

Freewill

* If you are in any doubt concerning what We have sent down to you, then
question those who have read the Book before you: Truth has come to you from
your Lord, so do not be a waverer; ** do not be someone who rejects God's signs,
so you [turn out to] be a loser. * Those against whom your Lord's word has been
confirmed will never believe * until they see painful torment, even though every
sign should be brought them. * If only there had been a town which believed and
whose faith had benefited it besides Jonah's people. Once they believed,
We lifted the torment of shame from them during worldly life and let them enjoy
things for a while. * If your Lord had so wished, everyone on earth would have
believed, all of them together!

Tolerance

So will you force mankind to become believers? *** It is not up to any soul
to believe unless it [happens] with God's permission; He places a blight on
those who do not use their reason. * SAY: "Look at whatever [exists] in Heaven
and Earth. Signs and warning do not benefit any people who do not believe.

* Do they expect anything except days like the ones which happened to those
who passed away before them? SAY: "So wait; I am one of those waiting alongside
you.' * Then We will save Our messengers and those who believe; it is thus right
for Us to save believers!

God's Role Explained

(XI) * SAY: "Mankind, if you are in any doubt concerning my religion, well, I
do not serve those whom you serve instead of God but rather I worship God
[Alone], Who will gather you (all) in. I am commanded to be a believer: ** "Keep
your face set towards religion, seeking [God] righteously and do not be an
associator * nor appeal to something that will neither benefit nor harm you,
instead of to God [Alone]. If you should do so, you would then be a wrongdoer."*
If God should afflict you with any trouble, there is no one to remove it except
Him, while if He wants some good for you, there is no one who can spurn His
bounty; He strikes any of His servants He wants to with it. He is the Forgiving,
the Merciful!"

* SAY: "Mankind, Truth has come to you from your Lord! Anyone who accepts
guidance is guided only for his own sake; while anyone who strays away, will
only become lost at his own risk. I am no custodian set up over you."

* Follow whatever has been inspired in you and be patient until God. judges,
for He is the best Judge.

11. Hud (The Messenger)

THISCHAPTER contains 123 late Meccan verses, except for VV. 12, and
114, which date from Madina. They are arranged in ten sections. The chapter was
revealed after the previous one on Jonah 10 and is thus the second in the
A.L.R. series; it likewise precedes the next one on Joseph 12.

Hud was an ancient prophet who was sent to the nation of Ad which lived in
southern Arabia along the Indian Ocean. His story begins at V. 50 in section V,
following that of Noah (III-IV). The chapter also mentions two other
Arabian prophets at length, Shuayb (VIII) and Salih (OR Methusale in Genesis
5:25-27 in the Old Testament) (VI); and then Abraham (VII), Lot (VII) and Moses
(IX).

A quality of 'Mercy,' God's essential rahma, flows through this
chapter as each prophet's message to his own people comes up in turn (II, III,
V, VI, VIII). These parallel stories which contrast the Arabian prophets with
the strictly Biblical or Hebrew ones show us they are meant to be analogies. A
picture of the Day of Judgement comes at the end of section IX.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * A. L. R.

[This is] a Book whose verses are decisive, and have been set forth detail in
the presence of Someone [Who is] Wise, Informed * so that you will serve only
God [Alone]: "I am a warner, a herald from Him to you;" * and so you will seek
forgiveness from your Lord; then turn towards Him [in repentance]. He will let
you enjoy a handsome allotment for a specific period, and grant His bounty to
everyone possessing bounty. If you should turn away, then I fear the torment of
a great day for you. * Unto God is your return; He is Capable of everything!

** Indeed they wrap their breasts up to try to hide things from Him. Whenever
they attempt to cover themselves up with their clothing, does He not know
whatever they conceal and what they disclose? He is Aware of whatever [their]
breasts contain.

PART TWELVE

(I, cont'd) * No animal exists on earth unless God provides for it. He knows
its lair and its burrow; everything is [to be found] in a clear Book. * He is
the One Who created Heaven and Earth in six days. His Throne rises over the
water, so He may test which of you is finest in action. If you should say: "You
will (all) be raised up after death," those who disbelieve would say: "This is
just sheer magic!" * If We postponed torment for them till a period to be
counted out, they would say: "What is delaying it?" On the day when it comes to
them, there will be no means them to dodge it, while whatever they had been
sneering at will sweep around them.

Building Character

(II) *If We ever let man taste any mercy from Us, then snatched it
away from him, he would become despondent, ungrateful. ** Yet if We let him
taste favor after some hardship has afflicted him, he says: "Evil things have
departed from me!" He is so cheerful, boastful, * except for the ones who act
patiently and perform honorable deeds; those will have forgiveness a big wage. *
Perhaps you are abandoning something that has been inspired in you, and your
breast is feeling cramped because of it, since they say: "Why has not a treasure
been sent down to him, or some angel come along with him,: You are only a
warner, while God is a Trustee for everything.

* Or do they say: "He has made it all up!" SAY: 'Well then bring chapters
made up like it! Appeal to anyone you can manage to instead of to God if you are
so truthful. * If they do not respond to you, then know it has only been sent
down with God's knowledge. There is no deity except Him. Will you not become
Muslims?"

** We shall repay anyone who has been wanting worldly life and its attraction
according to their actions in it; they will not be caught short there. * Yet
those will have only the Fire during the Hereafter anything they have been
producing in it will collapse and whatever they have been doing will [prove to]
be useless.

* What about someone who has [received] an explanation from his Lord and to
whom a witness from Him is reciting while Moses' book lies before him as a token
and a mercy? Such persons believe in it. Anyone from the factions who disbelieve
in it will have the Fire for his appointment, so do not be in any quandary about
it; it is the Truth from your Lord, even though most men do not believe so.

* Who is more in the wrong than someone who invents a lie about God? Those
will be turned over to their Lord and witnesses will say: "These are the ones
who have lied about their Lord!" Does not God's curse rest on wrongdoers, *
those who obstruct God's way and attempt to make it crooked, and are
disbelievers in the Hereafter? ** Those will not prevent anything from happening
on earth nor will they have any patrons besides God. Torment will be doubled for
them. They have not been enable to hear nor have they been observing [anything].
* Such are the ones who have lost their own souls, while whatever they were
inventing has led them astray. * It is positive they will lose most in the
Hereafter!

* Those who believe, perform honorable deeds, and yield unto their Lord, will
become inhabitants of the Garden; they will live in it for ever. * Both groups
can be compared to a blind and dumb man, alongside a sighted and hearing one.
Are they alike for the purpose of comparison? Will you not bear this in mind?

Noah

(III) ** We sent Noah to his folk: "I am a plain warner for you, * so that
you may worship nobody except God [Alone]. I fear the torment of a painful day
for you!"

* The notables from among his own people who disbelieved said: "We regard you
only as a human being like ourselves. We do not see that anyone follows you
except those who are the meanest among us, who are just beginning to form
opinions. We do not consider that you (all) have any advantage over us; rather
we think you are lying.

* He said: "My people, have you considered whether I have [brought] any
explanation from my Lord? He has sent me mercy from His presence, although it
has been disguised so far as you are concerned. Shall we compel you to [accept]
it while you dislike it? * And my folk, I do not ask you for any money for it;
my wages come only from God. Nor am I driving away those who believe: they will
be meeting their Lord [anyhow]. Yet I do see you are a folk who act out of
ignorance. ** My people, who will support me against God if I should drive them
off? Will you not bear this in mind?

* "I do not tell you that I hold God's treasures, nor do I know the Unseen
nor say I am an angel, nor do I tell those whom you eye with contempt that God
will not give them anything good. God is quite Aware of what lies in their
souls. I should then be a wrongdoer."

* They said: "Noah, you have pleaded with us, and kept on pleading with us.
Bring us whatever you threaten us with if you are so truthful!" * He said: "Only
God will bring you it, if He so wishes. You will not prevent it. * My advice
will not benefit you no matter how sincerely I want to advise you, should God be
wanting to let you wander off. He is your Lord and to Him will you (all)
return."

** Or do they say: 'He has invented it!"? SAY:"If I have invented it,
then my crime rests on myself; while I am innocent of any crimes you may be
committing."

(IV) * It was revealed to Noah that: "None of your folk will ever believe
except for someone who has already believed. Do not despair about what they have
been doing. * Build the Ark under Our eyes and Our inspiration. Do not preach to
me about those who have done wrong; they will be drowned."

* As he was building the Ark, each time any gentlemen from his own people
passed by him, they would sneer at him. He said: "If you ridicule us, then we'll
ridicule you just the way you are sneering. You will come to know who will be
given torment which will shame him, and have lasting torment settle down upon
him."

** So when Our command came and the bowels (of the earth) welled up, We said:
'Load her up with two apiece from every species, and your own family - except
for anyone against whom the Sentence has already been pronounced-as well as
anyone who believes." Yet only a few believed along with him.

Noah's Embarkation Prayer

He said: "Board her:"in the name of Godis her sailing and
her mooring;my Lord is so Forgiving, Merciful!"

* She sailed on with them through waves that were like mountains. Noah called
out to, his son who stood aloof by himself: "My dear son, sail away with us, and
do not stay with the disbelievers." * He said: "I'll take refuge on a mountain
which will protect me from the water." He said: "Nothing is safe today from
God's command except for someone who has been shown mercy." A wave swept in
between them so he was one of those who were drowned.

* It was said: "Earth, swallow your water!", and: "Sky, clear up!" So the
water receded, the Command was accomplished, and she settled down on [Mt.] Judi

* It was (also) said: "Away with such wrongdoing folk!" ** Noah called upon
his Lord and said: 'My Lord, my son belonged to my own family, while Your
promise is true, and You are the wisest Judge!" He said: "Noah, he no longer
belongs to your family: his behavior was dishonorable. Do not ask Me about
something you have no knowledge about; I so caution you lest you become
ignorant." * He said: "My Lord, I take refuge with You from asking You something
I have no knowledge about. If You do not forgive me and show me mercy, I may
become a loser." * It was said: "Noah, land in peace from Us; blessings will
[rest] on you and on some of the nations who [will spring] from you. We shall
let some [other] communities enjoy themselves; then painful torment from Us will
afflict them."

The Unseen

* This is some of the news about the Unseen which We reveal to you. Neither
you nor your people knew them before this, so be patient. The outcome belongs to
those who do their duty.

Hud Himself

(V) ** To Ad [we sent] their brother Hud. He said: "My people,
worship God [Alone]! You have no other deity except Him. Otherwise you are only
making things up. * My folk, I ask you for no payment for it: my wage comes only
from the One Who fashioned me. Will you not reason [things out]? * My folk, seek
forgiveness from your Lord, then turn to Him [repentant]. He will send the
heavens down upon you in torrents and add strength to you even beyond your own
strength. Do not turn away like criminals.

* They said: "Hud, you have not brought us any explanation, nor
are we apt to leave our gods merely on your say-so. We are no believers in you;
* we only say: 'Some of our gods have stricken you with evil."' He said: "I take
God as a witness, and bear witness yourselves that I am innocent of what you
associate with ** instead of Him. Plot away all together against me; then do not
keep me waiting! * I have relied on God, [Who is both] my Lord and your Lord.
There is no animal which He does not grasp by its forelock. My Lord is on a
Straight Road. * Even if you should turn away, I have still delivered to you
what I have been sent to you with. My Lord will replace you with some other
people than yourselves, while you will not harm Him in any way. My Lord acts as
a Keeper over everything.

* Once Our command came, We rescued Hud as well as those who believed along
with him through mercy from Ourself-, We saved them fro stern torment. * Such
[people] were Ad: they repudiated their Lord's signs, defied their messengers,
and followed the command of every stubborn oppressor. ** They were followed by a
curse in this world as well as on Resurrection Day. Did not Ad disown their
Lord? Well, it meant: "Away with Ad, Hud's folk!"

Salih

(VI) * To Thamud [We sent] their brother Salih. He said: "My people worship
God; you have no deity besides Him. He has produced you from the earth and let
you settle down on it, so seek forgiveness from Him. Then turn to Him; my Lord
is Near, Responsive." * They said: "Salih, you have been a source of expectation
among us until now. Do you prohibit us from serving what our fathers worshipped?
We feel suspicious doubt about what you are appealing for us to do,"

* He said: "My folk, have you considered whether I bring any explanation from
my Lord? He has given me mercy from Himself. Who will support me against God if
I were to disobey Him? You would only ma me lose even more.

* "My people, this she-camel belonging to God is a sign for you. Let her
pasture on God's earth and do not hurt her in any way test so torment should
overtake you from near at hand." ** Still they mistreated her, so he said:
"Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days [more]! That is a promise which
will never be repudiated."

* Once Our command came along, We saved Salih and those who believed along
with him from the disgrace of that day through mercy fro Ourself. Your Lord is
the Strong, the Powerful. * The Blast caught those who had been doing wrong, so
one morning they lay cowering in the homes. * It was just as if they had never
prospered there. Had not Thamud disbelieved in their Lord? Was it not: "Away
with Thamud!"?

Abraham

(VII) * Our messengers came to Abraham with good news. They said: "Peace!";
he said: 'Peace!", and immediately set about bringing in a roast calf. ** When
he saw their hands did not reach out towards it, he felt uneasy with them and
started to be afraid of them. They said: "Do not act afraid; we have been sent
to Lot's folk."

* His wife was standing by and she laughed, so We informed her about Isaac,
and following Isaac, Jacob. * She said: "It's too bad for me! Shall I bear a
child while I am an old woman and this husband of mine is elderly? That would be
an amazing thing!" * They said: "Do you marvel at God's command? God's mercy and
blessings are on all you people in [this] house. He is Praiseworthy, Glorious!"

* So when his dismay left Abraham and the news came (home) to him, he pleaded
with Us about Lot's folk; ** Abraham was so lenient, worried, concerned. *
"Abraham, avoid this! It is merely that your Lord's command has come, and
torment which cannot be averted has been brought them."

Lot's Story

* When Our messengers came to Lot, he was uneasy concerning them and felt
helpless about warding off anything they might do, He said: "This is a critical
day!" * His people came hurrying up to him; while just before they had been
performing such evil deeds! He said: "My people, these are my daughters; they
are purer for you. Heed God and do not shame me through my guests. Is there not
a normal man among you?" * They said: "You know we have no right to your
daughters. You know what we want!" ** He said: "If only I had some power over
you or could seek safety at some firm support!"

* They said: "Lot, we are your Lord's messengers. They will not overtake you,
so travel with your family during part of the night and do not let anyone of you
turn around except for your wife. Her fate is what will strike them [too]. Their
appointment will be in the morning. Is not morning near?"'

* When Our command came along, We turned them upside down and rained stones
on them from tablets which had been sorted out, * stamped by your Lord. They
never lie far from wrongdoers!

Shuayb With Midian

(VIII)* To Midian [God sent] their brother Shuayb. He said: "My people,
worship God [Alone]! You have no other deity except Him. Do not give n short
measure and weight. I see you enjoy well-being while I fear the torment of an
overpowering day for you. ** My people, give full measure and weight with all
fairness, and do not cheat men of their belongings nor cause havoc on earth as
mischief makers do. * Anything God leaves over is best for you provided you
believe. I am no guardian set up over you."

* They said: "Shuayb, does your prayer command you that we must abandon what
our forefathers worshipped, or that we should [not] do what we wish to with our
property? Yet you are such a lenient, normal person!"

* He said: "My people, have you considered whether I bear any explanation
from my Lord? He has provided me with handsome sustenance from Himself. I do not
want to oppose you in what I am forbidding you; I only want to improve matters
so far as I can manage to. My success lies only with God; on Him have I relied
and to Him do I refer. * My people, let not disagreement with me involve you in
any crime, so the same fate as struck Noah's folk, or Hud's folk
or Salih's folk, will strike you. Lot's folk even lived not far away from you.
Seek forgiveness from your Lord; then turn towards Him; my Lord is Merciful,
Affectionate."

* They said; "Shuayb, we do not understand most of what you say. We do see
you are weak compared to us, and were it not for your immediate family, we'd
expel you. You are not so dear to us."

* He said: "My folk, are my family ties dearer to you than God is? You thrust
Him behind you, turning your backs on Him! Yet my Lord embraces anything you do.
* My people, do anything that lies within your power; I am (likewise) acting.
You will soon know who will be brought torment which will disgrace him, and who
is lying. Watch out! I am watching along with you."

* When Our command came, We saved Shuayb and those who believed with him
through mercy from Ourself, while the Blast overtook those who had been doing
wrong, so they lay cowering in their homes one morning ** just as if they had
never prospered there. Was it not away with Midian, just as Thamud was also sent
away?

Moses

(IX) * We sent Moses with Our signs and clear authority * to Pharaoh and his
notables; so they followed Pharaoh's command, even though what Pharaoh commanded
was not sensible. * He will appear before his folk on Resurrection Day and lead
them on to the Fire. How awful will be (their) arrival wherever they are led! *
They will be followed by a curse in this [world] and on Resurrection Day; how
awful is the gift which will be presented [them]!

*** That is some of the news from towns We are telling you about; some of
them are still standing there while [others have been] mown down. * We did no
wrong to ' them but they had (already) wronged themselves; their (false) gods
which they had been appealing to instead of to God [Alone] did not benefit them
in any way once your Lord's command came along, and they increased them in
nothing except destruction. * Even so will your Lord seize things when He takes
over any towns while they are doing wrong; His seizing will be painful, severe.

* In that lies a sign for anyone who fears torment in the Hereafter;
that will be a day on which mankind will be gathered, and such is a day when
(every)one should be present. * We will not postpone it except till a deadline
which shall be counted out. ** The day it comes, no soul will speak up except
with His permission. Some of them will feel miserable while [others] will be
happy. * Those who are miserable will be in the Fire; they shall (hear) moaning
and groaning in it, * remaining there so long as Heaven and Earth will last,
except for whatever your Lord may wish. Your Lord is a Doer of whatever He
wants!

* Those who have found happiness will be in the Garden, living there so long
as Heaven and Earth may endure, except for whatever your Lord may wish, as a
gift that will never crumble away. * Do not be in any quandary about what those
[people] serve; they only worship as their forefathers worshipped previously. We
will repay them their share without omitting anything.

(X) ** We gave Moses the Book, yet disagreement arose concerning it. Had it
not been for a statement which had previously gone forth from your Lord, it
would have been decided among them. They are in such suspicious doubt about it!
* Your Lord will repay everyone for their actions, for He is Informed about
whatever they are doing. * Carry on just as you have been ordered to, as well as
anyone who repents along with you. Do not act arrogantly: He is Observant of
anything you do! * Do not lean on those who do wrong lest the Fire should touch
you. You have no patrons besides God; otherwise you will not be supported.

Prayer

* Keep up prayer at both ends of the day; and at the approach of
night.Good deeds remove evil deeds:that is a Reminder for such
personsas will be reminded.

** Act patiently; God does not let the wages of those who act kindly be
wasted. * If there had only been a few persons with a little [sense] left to
forbid corruption on earth out of those We saved among the generations before
you! They followed those who did wrong in whatever they had been luxuriating in,
and were criminals. * Your Lord would never destroy any towns for doing wrong
while their people were trying to reform.

* If your Lord had wished, He would have made mankind into one community, but
they will not stop disagreeing, * except for those to whom your Lord has shown
mercy.

For that reason did He create them, and your Lord's word was completed: "Ishall fill Hell with sprites and mankind all together!" ** Everything We
relate to you concerning the history of messengers is what We brace your vitals
with; through this, Truth comes to you, as well as a lesson and Reminder for
believers. * Tell those who do not believe: "Do whatever lies within your
capacity; we are [likewise] acting. * Wait! We are waiting (too)."

God holds the Unseen in Heaven and Earth, and unto Him does every matter
return;so serve Him, and rely on Him. Your Lord is not unmindful
of what you (all) are doing.

12. Joseph

THIS CHAPTER has 111 Meccan verses, except for vv. 1, 2, 3 and 7 which date
from Madina. It comprises twelve sections, and was revealed after the previous
one which is entitled Hud [the Messenger] 11 and before Stoneland
15. It might almost be considered a short story, for it forms one of the
enduring tales in world literature, and a great theme that has been known for
millenia throughout the Middle East. It has even inspired modern writers like
Thomas Mann.

Joseph at the beginning is clearly a boy, a younger brother who will relax
and play while the rest of the family are out working (II). Thus he provokes
sibling jealousy. He matures through trial and misfortune until he ends as an
advanced civil servant or statesman.

If this chapter carries any message, it is the need for trusting God entirely
through any period of trial. Moses' mystic journey (18:IX-X) serves as another
example of this advice. Watch for the unkind cut when Joseph was falsely accused
of stealing (IX), and especially for the noble figure of the here nameless elder
brother who also appears at II and X; the family was not all bad. It is
interesting too that the ruler of Egypt is here called a king rather than
Pharaoh (VI-VII).

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * A.L.R.

These are verses from the Clear Book. * We have sent it down as an Arabic
reading so that you may reason.

* We relate the best stories to you, since We have revealed this Reading to
you. You were someone quite unaware previously.

* So Joseph told his father: "My father, I saw eleven stars, and the sun and
moon; I saw them bowing down before me!" ** He said: "My dear son, do not relate
your vision to your brothers lest they may lay some trap for you; Satan is an
open enemy to man. * Thus your Lord is choosing you and teaching you how to
interpret events, and completing His favor towards you and Jacob's house, just
as He has already completed it towards both your forefathers Abraham and Isaac.
Your Lord is Aware, Wise!"

(II) * There were signs for inquirers in Joseph and his brothers * when they
said; "Joseph and his brother are dearer to our father than we are, even though
we are a closed group. Our father is clearly mistaken. * [Let's] kill Joseph or
throw him into exile in some land so your father's attention will be absorbed in
(all of) you, and later on you will be honorable folk," ** One among them spoke
up and said: "Don't kill Joseph; toss him into the bottom of the cistern so some
travellers may pick him up, if you must do something."

* They said: "Our father, what's wrong with you that you do not trust us with
Joseph? We are quite sincere about him. * Send him along with us tomorrow to
relax and play. We'll look after him." * He said: "It would worry me for you to
go off with him. I fear a wolf will eat him up while you are careless about
him." * They said: "How could a wolf eat him when we are a closed group? Then we
would be losers!"

** As they went away with him, they agreed on how to place him in the bottom
of a cistern. We inspired him as follows: "You will inform them about this
business of theirs while they will not catch on about it."

* They came back weeping to their father in the evening. * They said: "Our
father, we went off racing and left Joseph with our belongings, and the wolf ate
him up! You will not believe us even though we are telling the truth." * They
even came with false blood on his shirt. He said: "Rather you yourselves have
been fooled in the matter. Patience is beautiful! God is the One to seek
help from against what you describe."

* Some travellers came along who sent their waterboy and he let do his own
bucket. He said: "What a godsend! This is a boy!" So they hid him as a piece of
merchandise; yet God was Aware of what they were doing.

** They sold him for a trifling price, just a few coins which were counted
out. They were quite indifferent about him.

Potipar's Wife

(III) *The person from Egypt who [eventually] bought him told his
wife: 'Let his stay here be dignified; perhaps he will benefit us or we'll adopt
him as a son." Thus We established Joseph in the land and taught him how to
interpret events. God was Dominant in his affair, even though most men do not
realize it.

* When he became of age, We gave him discretion and knowledge; thus We reward
those who act kindly. * However the woman in whose house he lived, wanted to
seduce him. She bolted the doors and said: Come here, you!" He said: "God
protect me! He is my Lord, the best shelter to hold on by. He does not let
wrongdoers prosper.'

* She kept him on her mind, while he would have had her on his, had it not
been that he saw a proof from his Lord. Thus We warded off evil and sexual
misconduct from him; he was one of Our sincere servants. ** They both raced for
the door, and she ripped his shirt from behind; and they met her husband at the
door! She said: "What is the penalty for someone who wants [to commit] evil with
your wife except for him to be jailed or [suffer] painful torment?" He said:
"She tried to seduce me."

A witness from her side of the family testified: "If his shirt has been
ripped from in front, then she has told the truth and he is a liar; * while if
his shirt has been ripped from behind, then she has lied and he is truthful." *
When he saw his shirt was ripped from behind, he said: "It is one of your
women's tricks. Your wiles are serious! * Joseph, avoid this. [My wife], ask
forgiveness for your sin. You're someone who has slipped up."

(IV) ** Some women in the city said: "The official's wife wants to seduce her
houseboy. He's set her madly in love! We see she has gone clear astray."

* When she heard about their remarks, she sent for them and prepared a party
for them. To each of them she gave a knife. She told [him]: "Come out to [see]
them!"

When they saw him, they praised him and cut their hands. They said: "God
forbid! This is no human being; this is simply a noble angel!' * She said: "Well
this is the person whom you blamed me for. Yes, I wanted to seduce him, and he
held himself back! If he doesn't do what I order him to, he'll be jailed, and
taken down a notch or two."

Joseph in Prison

* He said: "My Lord, jail is more precious to me than what they are inviting
me to do. Unless You ward off their tricks from me, I'll fall for them and act
as if I do not know a thing." * His Lord responded to his plea and warded off
their tricks from him. He is the Alert, Aware. * * Then it occurred to them to
jail him for a while even after they had seen the signs.

Polytheism Condemned

(V) * Two young men entered the prison along with him. One of the said: "I
dreamed I was pressing wine." The other said: "I dreamed I was carrying bread on
my head from which the birds were eating. Tell us about their interpretation; we
see you are someone who acts kindly."

* He said: "Food will not be brought either of you to sustain you, unless I
will tell you their interpretation even before it reaches you. That is something
my Lord has taught me. I have left the sect of folk who do not believe in God
and are disbelievers in the Hereafter: * I follow the sect my forefathers
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We may not associate anything in [our worship of] God
[Alone]. That is part of God's bounty towards us and towards mankind; even
though most men are not grateful.

* "Both my jailmates, are separate lords better than God Alone, the
Irresistible? ** Instead of Him you do not serve anything except some names
which you and your forefathers have given them. God has not sent down any
authority for them. Discretion belongs only to God. He has ordered you to serve
Him Alone; such is the established religion, even though most men do not realize
it.

* "My two jailmates, one of you will pour wine for his lord, while the other
will be crucified so birds will eat from his head. The case has been decided
which you have been seeking my opinion about."

* He told the one whom he thought would be released: "Mention me to your
lord." However Satan made him forget to mention it to his lord, he languished in
jail for several years.

Pharaoh's Dream

(VI) *The king said; "I [dreamed I] saw seven fat cows which seven
lean ones were eating, and seven green ears plus some others all dried up.
Councilmen, explain my dream to me if you know how to explain any vision." *
They said: "Jumbles of dreams; we do not know how to interpret dreams." ** The
one from the pair who had been released said (for he recalled things after a
lapse of time): "I'll inform you about it interpretation. Send me [after it]!"

* "Joseph, you truthful man, explain to us about seven fat cows which seven
lean ones were eating, and seven green ears and others all dried up, so that I
may return to the people so they may know." * He said: "You will farm for seven
years as usual, and with anything you harvest, leave it in its ear except for a
little which you may eat. * The later on, seven severe ones will come which will
eat up anything you have planned ahead for them, except for a little which you
will store up. * Then a year will come after that when people will receive
showers, and in which they will press [grapes]."

(VII) ** The king said: "Bring him to me." When the messenger came to him, he
said: "Return to your lord and ask him what [was on] the mind of the women who
cut their hands. My Lord is Aware of their tricks.'

* He said: "What were you after when you tried to seduce Joseph? The women
said: "God forbid! We have not known about any evil concerning him." The
official's wife said: "Now the Truth has prevailed! I tried to seduce him; he is
someone who is telling the truth. * That was so he may know that I have not
betrayed him during his absence, and that God does not guide traitors.

PART THIRTEEN

(VII,cont'd) * 'I do not claim to be innocent myself. one's soul
is prone to [commit] evil, except for anything my Lord shows mercy for. My
Lord is Forgiving, Merciful." * The king said: "Bring him to me; I'll select him
for my special service."When he spoke to him, he said: "Today you stand before
us secure, trusted." ** He said: "Place me over the storehouses in the land. I
will be a careful overseer."

* Thus We established Joseph in the land, to budget for it in any way he
wished. We confer Our mercy on anyone We wish to and never let the earnings of
those who act kindly get lost. * Earnings in the Hereafter will be even better
for those who believe and have done their duty.

(VIII) *Joseph's brothers came, and they entered his office. He
recognized them, while they remained ignorant as to who he was. * When he had
equipped them with their supplies, he said: "Bring me a brother of yours [who
is] with your father. Dont you see that I give full measure and have been the
best of hosts? ** If you do not bring me him, I'll have no [further] measure for
you nor need you ever approach me [again]."

* They said: "We'll try to coax his father to let him go, We [promise] to do
so." * He told his houseboys: "Place their trading goods back in their
saddlebags, so they will recognize it when they return home to their family;
thus they may come back." * When they returned to their father, they said: "Our
father [further] measure has been denied us, so send our brother [Benjamin]
along with us so we may be treated as customers. We'll look after him." * He
said: "How dare I trust you with him except as I entrusted you with his brother
long ago? God is the best Guardian and the most Merciful of Mercy-granters."

** When they opened their baggage, they found their trading goods had been
returned to them. They said: "Our father, what more do we desire than this? This
merchandise of ours has been returned to us! We shall supply our family, look
after our brother, and add a camel's load [to it] besides: that should be such
an easy load!" * He said: 'I will never send him with you until you give me some
assurance before God that you will bring him back to me, unless you have been
ambushed."

When they had given him their pledge, he said: "God is a Trustee for what we
say." * He said: "My sons, do not enter by a single gate; enter rather by
separate gates. I cannot help you in any way against God; discretion rests only
with God. On Him have I relied, and on Him should reliant persons rely."

* When they had entered [the city] just as their father ordered them to, it
did not help them in any way against God except as a need which He fulfilled in
Jacob's soul. He possessed knowledge since We had taught him, although most men
do not realize it.

(IX) * As they entered Joseph's quarters, he took his brother [Benjamin]
aside. He said: "I am your brother, so do not feel distressed about whatever
they have been doing."

** When he furnished them with their supplies, he placed a mug in his
brother's saddlebag. Then a crier called out: "Caravaners, you are thieves!" *
They said as they approached them: "What have you lost?" * They said: "We are
missing the king's goblet. Whoever brings it back will have a camel's load; I
can vouch for it." * They said: "By God, you [ought to] know we have not come
here to cause any trouble in the land. We are not thieves!" * They said: "What
will the penalty be for it if you are liars?" ** They said: "Its penalty?
Whoever's saddlebag it is found in will [act as] his own penalty. Thus we
penalize wrongdoers."

* He began with their baggage before his brother's bag. Then he pulled it out
of his brother [Benjamin]'s bag. Thus We contrived [things] for Joseph; he would
never have taken his brother according to the king's code unless God had so
wished it. We raise anyone We wish to in rank, while Someone Aware [stands] over
everyone possessing knowledge.

* They said: "If he has been [caught] stealing, then a brother of his stole
something previously." Joseph kept his secret to himself and did not reveal it
to them. He said: "You are in a worse plight! God is quite Aware of what you
describe."

* They said: "Sir, he has a father who is an elderly gentleman. Take one of
us in his place; we see you are someone who acts kindly." * He said: "God
prevent us from taking anyone except the one whom we found our property with!
We'd then be wrongdoers."

(X) ** When they despaired of influencing him, they held counsel by
themselves. The eldest of them said: "Dont you realize that your father took a
pledge from you before God? You have already been remiss concerning Joseph so I
shall never leave the land until my father permits me to, or God decides
[things] for me. He is the best Judge! * Return to your father and say: 'Our
father, your son has stolen something! Yet we testify only about what we know
and are not guardians of the Unseen. * Ask the town[sfolk] where we have been
and the caravan which we came back in; we are telling the truth!"'

Jacob's Grief

* He said: 'Rather you have fooled yourselves in the matter. Patience is a
virtue! Perhaps God will bring them all back to me; He is the Aware, the
Wise." * He turned away from them and said: "How upset I feel over Joseph!" Both
his eyes clouded over from sadness, so he choked back his grief. ** They said:
'By God, you keep on remembering Joseph until you will be exhausted or will be
ready to die!" * He said: "I complain only to God about my sorrow and my
sadness. Through God I know something you do not know. * My sons, go and search
for Joseph and his brother; do not despair of [finding] God's comfort; only
disbelieving folk despair of God's comfort."

* When they entered his office, they said: "Sir, trouble has afflicted us and
our family, and we have come with meager merchandise. Fill up the load for us
and act charitably towards us. God rewards the charitable."

* He said: "Do you know what you did to Joseph and his brother while you were
acting out of ignorance?" ** They said: "Why, are you Joseph?" He said: "I am
Joseph, and this is my brother. God has compensated us; with anyone who does his
duty and perseveres, God does not lose track of the wages for those who act
kindly." * They said: "By God, God has preferred you ahead of us, while we have
been mistaken." * He said: "There is no [way for me to] find fault with you
today. God will forgive you; He is the most Merciful of the Mercy-granting. *
Take this shirt of mine and throw it over my father's face; he will become
sighted [again], Bring me all your family."

(XI) *As the caravan set out, their father said: "I smell a breath
from Joseph, even though you may think I am doting." ** They said: "By God, you
are still in your old error!"

* When an advance rider came, he threw it over his face, and his sight was
restored. He said: "Did I not tell you that through God I know something that
you do not know?" * They said: "Our father, seek us forgiveness for our
offences! We have been mistaken." * He said: "I shall seek forgiveness for you
from my Lord; He is the Forgiving, the Merciful."

* When they entered Joseph's office, he took both his parents aside and said:
"Enter Egypt safely, if God wishes." *** He helped his parents up on to the
platform, and they fell down on their knees before him. He said: "My father,
this is the interpretation of my earlier vision. My Lord has made it come true!
He was Kind to me when He let me out of jail, and brought you in from wandering
on the desert after Satan had stirred up trouble between me and my brothers. My
Lord is Gracious in whatever way He wishes; He is the Aware, the Wise.

Joseph's Prayer

* "My lord, you have given me control and taught me how to interpret events.
Originator of Heaven and Earth You are my Patron in this world and the
Hereafter. Gather me in as a Muslim and unite me with honorable men!"

the Universal Message

* Such are some of the news from the Unseen We inspire you with. You were not
in their presence when they agreed on their affair and were plotting. * Yet most
men will not become believers, no matter how eager you may be. * You need not
ask them for any payment for it; it [serves] only as a Reminder to [everybody
in] the Universe.

(XII) ** How many a sign do they pass by in Heaven and Earth, and pay no
attention to them? * Most of them do not believe in God unless they associate
[others with Him]. * Do they feel confident that a sample of God's torment may
not come to them, or the [final] Hour will come upon them suddenly, while they
do not suspect it? * SAY: "This is my way. I and anyone who follows me, appeal
to God through insight. Glory be to God! I am no associator."

* We have not sent anyone before you except men from among the townspeople
whom We have inspired. Have they not travelled around t earth and seen what the
outcome was for those who preceded them? A home in the Hereafter will be better
for those who do their duty. Will they not use their reason - ** so that once
messengers despair and think that they have been lied to, Our support will come
to them and anyone We wish to will be saved? Our might is never averted from
criminal folk.

* There is a lesson in their stories for prudent persons. It is not some
report which has been invented but confirmation of what has existed previously
and an analysis of everything, as well as guidance and mercy for folk who
believe.

13. Thunder

THESE43 Verses arranged in six sections are mostly late Meccan,
although some date from Madina. The chapter was revealed after Muhammad
47 and before The Mercy-giving 55. It has A.L.M.R. for its initials,
almost like the second, third and twenty-ninth to thirty-second chapters.

The law of consequences is stated here, and in section
IIIwe are told who will go to Heaven and who to Hell. We are
warned against other failings that may lead us astray.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

God as Creator

(I) * A. L. M. R.

These are verses from the Book; what has been sent down toyou by your
Lord is the Truth, even though most men do not believe so. * God is the One Who
has raised up the Heavens without any support you can see. Then He mounted on
the Throne and regulated the sun and moon; each runs along on a specific course.
He directs the matter; He manifests signs so that you may be convinced about
meeting your Lord.

* He is the One Who has spread the earth out and placed headlands and rivers
on it, and has placed two pairs for every kind of fruit on it. He wraps daylight
up in night. In that are signs for folk who meditate. * On the earth are
neighboring tracts, and vineyards, cultivated fields and datepalms, [growing] in
clumps and all alone, watered from a single source. We make some of them excel
others in food value. In that are signs for folk who use their reason.

** If you should feel astonished, then how much more astonishing is their
statement: "When we have become dust, shall we [end up] in some fresh creation?"
Those are the ones who disbelieve in their Lord; such (persons) will have
fetters [placed] around their necks and those will become inmates of the Fire,
to live there for ever. * They want to hasten you on to commit evil rather than
[to perform] a fine deed.

Examples have already been set before them.

Your Lord possesses forgiveness for mankind,

no matter how wrong they are; though

your Lord still is Stern with punishment.

Those who disbelieve say: "If only a sign were sent down from his Lord!" Yet
you are only a warner; each folk has a guide.

God the All-Knowing

(II)*God knows what every female bears, and how some wombs
may miscarry or else may wait too long. Everything has its measure with Him; *
Knowing the Unseen and the Visible, [He is] the Great, the Exalted! ** It is all
the same for you whether one of you is secretive about what he says or speaks
out about it, and whether one keeps to himself night and struts around by day: *
he has [angels] checking from both before him and behind him; they guard him at
God's command.

God does not change what any people may have

until they change whatever they themselves have.

Whenever God wants something bad [to happen] to any people, there is no way
to avert it nor have they any patron except for Him. * He is the 0ne Who shows
you lightning to inspire both fear and expectation. He whips up the heavy
clouds. * Thunder hymns His praise while angels stand in awe of Him. He
sends down thunderbolts and strikes anyone He wishes with them. Yet they argue
on and on about God while He is Stern in strategy.

The Object of Prayer; Association is Futile

* To Him should go the appeal for Truth; those they appeal to instead of Him
will never respond to them in any way, except as someone does who stretches out
his palms for water, so it may reach his mouth since he himself can never reach
it. An appeal by disbelievers merely goes astray.

BOW DOWN HERE

** Whoever is in Heaven and Earth bows down ontheir knees
before God obediently or grudgingly, just as their shadows do so in the
morning and the evening. * SAY: 'Who is Lord of Heaven and Earth?" SAY: "God
[Alone]." SAY: "Yet have you adopted patrons besides Him who control no benefit
nor any harm by themselves?" SAY: "Are the blind and the sighted person equal?
Or is darkness equal to light? Or have they given God associates whom they have
created just as He creates, so that all creation seems just the same to them?"

God Alone

SAY: "God is the Creator of everything;

He exists Alone, the Irresistible.

Foam in Floods

* He sends down water from the sky so that river valleys flow according to
how much there is. The torrent carries along swelling foam, foam just like what
comes out of fire they have kindled to smelt jewelry or some equipment with.

Even so God knocks Truth and falsehood together [to compare them]. As for the
foam, the scum will go away; while whatever benefits mankind lingers on in the
earth, Thus God compares things with one another.

* Those who respond to their Lord will have the finest [reward] while those
who do not respond to Him, even if they had everything on earth and the like of
it besides, would never redeem themselves with it. Those will have he worst
reckoning; their refuge will be Hell and how awful a resting place it is!

(III) *Is someone who knows how whatever has been sent down to you
from your Lord is the Truth, like someone who is blind?

Who Will Go to Heaven

Only prudent persons bear it in mind, ** those who fulfil God's agreement and
do not break the covenant, * who transmit anything God has ordered to be
transmitted, and dread their Lord and fear the worst reckoning, * who persevere
in seeking their Lord's countenance and keep up prayer and spend whatever We
have provided them with both secretly and publicly, and ward off evil with
good; those will have the compensation of the [final] Home, * gardens of
Eden which they will enter, as well as anyone who has acted honorably among
their forefathers, their spouses and their offspring. Angels will come in on
them by every gate: * "Peace be upon you because you have acted so patiently!"
How blissful will the compensation of the Home be!

Who Will Go to Hell

** Those who have broken God's agreement after having pledged it, and
intercepted what God has commanded to be transmitted, and acted depraved on
earth will have the Curse and theirs will be the worst home! * God extends and
measures out sustenance for anyone He wishes, while they are happy with worldly
life. Yet what is worldly life compared with the Hereafter except as something
to be enjoyed [as it passes]?

(IV) * Those who disbelieve say: "If only a sign were sent down to him from
his Lord!" SAY:"God lets anyone He wishes go astray, and guides to Himself
anyone who feels concerned- * the ones who believe and whose hearts feel
tranquil through remembering God-

"Surely hearts feel tranquil

whenever God is mentioned!"

-- * Those who believe and perform honorable deeds will find gladness and the
finest journey's end.

** Thus We have sent you to a nation-nations have passed away long before
it-so you may recite to them what We have inspired you with even though they
disbelieve in the Mercy-giving! SAY: "He is my Lord: there is no god except Him.
On Him do I rely and towards Him [goes] my repentance."

* If there were only some Quran by which the mountains would travel away or
the earth would crack open, or the dead would speak out! Rather command is
wholly God's. Do not those who believe despair, because God might have guided
all mankind had He so wished? Disaster will continually afflict those who
disbelieve because of what they produce, or it will settle down close to their
home until God's promise comes true. God does not break any appointment.

(V) * Messengers have been ridiculed before you (came), and I have been
indulgent with those who disbelieve; then I seized them. What was My punishment
like? * Who is there standing over every soul [checking up] on whatever it has
earned, while they give God associates? SAY: "Name them! Or will you inform Him
about something on earth He does not know, or is it just a display of words?"
Rather those who disbelieve feel their scheme is attractive while they are
diverted from the Path. Anyone whom God lets go astray will have no guide. *
Theirs will be torment during worldly life, while torment in the Hereafter will
be even more heartrending. They will have no one to shield them from God.

The Garden

** [Here] is what the Garden which the heedful are promised will be like:
rivers will flow through it; its food and its shade shall be perpetual. Such is
the compensation for those who have done their duty, while the outcome for
disbelievers will be the Fire.

People of the Book

* Those whom We have given the Book to are happy with what has been sent down
to you; yet among the factions there are some who disregard part Of it. SAY:
"Iam only ordered to serve God [Alone] and not associate anything with
Him. To Him do I appeal and towards Him will be my retreat." * Thus We have sent
it down for Arab discretion. If you followed their whims after the sort of
knowledge which has come to you, you would have no protector nor any shield
against God.

(VI) * We have sent messengers before you [came], and granted them spouses
and offspring. No messenger would have brought any sign except with God's
permission. For each period there is something written (down).

* God erases and consolidates whatever He wishes; He retains the Mother of
the Book. ** Whether We merely show you part of what We have promised them or
cause you to pass away, you merely have to proclaim it, while We must reckon. *
Have they not seen how We come to clip the land off at its borders? God decides;
there is no way to reverse His decision. He is Swift in reckoning!

* Those before them have plotted, even though God [controls] all plotting; He
knows what every soul is earning. Disbelievers shall know who has compensation
in the Home. * Those who disbelieve say: "You are no emissary." SAY: "God
suffices as a Witness between me and you (all), as well as anyone who has
knowledge about the Book."

14. Abraham

THIS CHAPTER consists of 52 verses arranged in seven sections which are all
late Meccan, except for VV. 28 & 29 which date from Madina. It was revealed
after Noah 71 and before Prophets 21.

The chapter contains two parables, "Ashes in the Wind" (III)and "The
Good and the Bad Tree" (IV).Abraham's famous prayer is found in section
VI (VV. 3541); this is followed by a graphic picture of the Day of Reckoning
with which the chapter ends.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * A. L. R.

We have sent down a Book to you in order to bring men out of darkness into
Light by their Lord's permission, towards the road of the Powerful, the
Praiseworthy, * God, Who holds whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth.
Alas, because disbelievers will have harsh torment, * those who would rather
have worldly life in preference to the Hereafter and obstruct God's way, seeking
to make it crooked; those stray far afield.

Moses' Mission

* We have not sent any messenger unless he was to explain to them inhis folk's own tongue. God lets anyone He wishes goastray, and
guides anyone He wishes; He is the Powerful, the Wise. ** We sent Moses with Our
signs: "Lead your people out of darkness into Light, and remind them of God's
days. In that are signs for every patient, grateful person."

* So Moses told his folk: 'Remember God's favor towards you when He saved you
from Pharaoh's court, who had imposed the worst torment on you, and slaughtered
your sons while letting your women live. That was a serious trial from your
Lord."

(II) * So your Lord announced: 'If you act grateful, I shall give you
evenmore, while if you are thankless, then My torment will be
severe." * Moses said: "Even if you and whoever is on earth should disregard it,
God will still be Transcendent, Praiseworthy."

* Has not news come to you concerning those who preceded you such as Noah's
folk, and Ad's and Thamud's, as well as those who came after them? Only God
knows who they were. Messengers brought them explanations yet they merely
stuffed their hands into their mouths and said: "We disbelieve in what you have
been sent with. We are in suspicious doubt about what you are inviting us to
do." ** Their messengers said: "Is there any doubt about God, the Originator of
Heaven and Earth? He invites you in order to forgive you some of your offences
and to postpone things for you during a specific period." They said: "You are
only human beings like ourselves! You want to divert us from what our
forefathers have been worshipping, so bring us some clear authority."

* Their messengers told them: "We are only human like yourselves, but God
showers blessings on any of His servants whom He wishes. It is not for us to
bring you any authority except with God's permission. On God should believers
rely." * Why should we not rely on God when He has guided us along our [several]
ways? And so we may patiently endure how you persecute us? On God [Alone] should
the reliant rely!

(III)* Those who disbelieved told their messengers: "We'll run you out of our
land unless you return to our sect!" Their Lord [however] inspired them [as
follows]: "We shall wipe out wrongdoers * and settle you on the land to succeed
them." That is [in store] for anyone who fears My position and fears My threat.

Hell

** They sought to conquer, and every stubborn oppressor blundered. * Beyond
him there lies Hell where he will be given stagnant water to drink. * He will
gag on it and not quite swallow it. Death will come at him from everywhere,
while he will not quite die. Beyond him lies harsh torment.

Ashes in the Wind

* The works of those who disbelieve in their Lord may be compared to ashes
which the wind whips around on a stormy day. They cannot do a thing with
anything they have earned. That is going far afield!

* Have you not seen how God has really created Heaven and Earth? If He so
wished, He would remove you and bring on a fresh creation. ** That is not
unfeasible for God [to do]. * They will all march forth to [meet] God, and the
weaklings will tell those who acted so proudly: "We formed a following for you;
can you help us out now in any way against God's torment?" They will say: "If
God had guided us, then we'd have guided you. It's all the same for us whether
we panic or act patient; we'll have no escape."

Blame is not Shifted

(IV) * Satan will say, once the matter has been settled: "God has given you a
true promise, while I have both promised you and then broken my word with you. I
have no authority over you except that I appealed to you, and you responded to
me. Do not blame me but blame yourselves! I have no claim on you nor have you
any claim on me. I disown how you have associated me [with God] up till now.
Wrongdoers will have painful torment."

* Those who believe and perform honorable deeds will be shown into gardens
through which rivers flow, to live there with their Lord's permission. Their
greeting in it will be: "Peace!"

The Good and the Bad Tree

* Do you not consider how God makes up a parable? A good word may be compared
to a good tree whose root is firm and whose branches soar up into the sky. ** It
yields its food each season with its Lord's permission.

God composes parables for mankind so that they may be reminded. * A bad word
may be compared to a bad tree: it will be uprooted from the face of the earth;
it has no foothold.

* God braces those who believe with firm speech during worldly life and in
the Hereafter; while God lets wrongdoers stray away. God does whatever He
wishes!

(V)* Have you not seen those who pay back God's favor with disbelief and
settle their folk in the home of Perdition- * Hell! They will roast there, and
how awful is such a plight! ** They place rivals alongside God to le others
astray from His path.

SAY: "Enjoy yourselves even though your goal will be the Fire!" * Tell My
servants who believe to keep up prayer and spend what We have provided them with
both secretly and openly before a day comes along when there will be no
bartering nor any intimacy."

God's Role

* God is the One Who has created Heaven and Earth, and sends down water from
the sky. He brings forth produce by means of it as sustenance for you. He has
subjected ships to you so they may sail at sea by His command; and subjected
rivers to you. * He regulates the sun and moon for you, both journeying on and
on, and regulates night and day for you. He gives you everything you ever ask
Him for. If you counted up God's favor(s), you would never [be able to] number
them; yet man is so unfair, ungrateful.

Abraham's Prayer

(VI) *So Abraham said:

"My Lord, make this countryside safe and keep me and my sons away from
worshipping idols. * My Lord, they have led so many men astray! Anyone who
follows me belongs to me, just as anyone who disobeys me [will still find]You are Forgiving, Merciful.

"Our Lord, I have had some of my offspring reside in a valley without any
crops alongside Your Hallowed House, our Lord, so that they may keep up prayer.
Make men's vitals feel fond of them, and provide them with fruit so they may act
grateful.

* "Our Lord, You know whatever we hide and whatever We display, nothing on
earth nor in the sky is hidden from God. * Praise beto God Who has
bestowed Ishmael and Isaac on me in my old age. My Lord is so Alert to anyone's
appeal!

** "My Lord, make me keep up prayer,

and have my offspring [do so too].

* "Our Lord, accept my appeal!

Our Lord, forgive me, both my parents,

and believers on the Day

when the Reckoning will be set up!"

Doomsday

(VII) *Do not reckon God is oblivious of what wrongdoers are doing;
He is merely putting them off till a day when their eyesight will be glazed * as
they dash along with their heads tilted forward, their glances not checking back
for them, and their vital organs gaping open. * Warn mankind against a day when
torment will come upon them. Those who have done wrong will say: "Our Lord, put
us off for a short while; we will answer Your appeal and follow the messengers!"

(Did you not use to swear previously that you would never [face] extinction?
** You have inhabited the dwellings of those who wronged themselves; it was
explained to you how We had dealt with them, and We made up parables for you.)

* They hatched their plot while God held up their plot, even though their
plan had been to transport the mountains by means of it! * Do not reckon God
will break His promise to His messengers; God is Powerful, the Wielder of
Retribution.

* Some day the earth wilf be changed into a different earth, and [so will]
Heaven; they will emerge for God Alone, the Irresistible! * You will see
criminals linked together by means of fetters on that day; ** their garments
will be [smeared] with tar while fire will cover their faces, * so God may
reward each soul according to whatever it has earned. God is Prompt at
reckoning!

* This is a proclamation for mankind;

let them feel they are warned through it

and know that He is God Alone.

May prudent persons bear it in mind!

15. Stoneland (or [Rock] City)

HERE WEhave 99 quite early Meccan verses arranged in six sections
(except for v. 87 which dates from Madina). The title refers to a community
north of Madina to whom Thumad came, which lived in a stone or rock city like
that at Petra. It lay on the route from Madina to Syria, as we see in the last
section of the chapter, and may have been near Tayma, in Midian.

This reference is preceded by mention of the early prophets, Abraham (IV)who gave his name to the previous chapter, and Lot (V). This chapter is
important for its cosmogony or the description of how the world was formed.
Diabolis is present at man's creation too (III).

This chapter was revealed after Joseph 12 and before Livestock
6, and is the last of the older group from Mecca, as can be seen by the
initials at the beginning of the first verse. This mood can be sensed in the
style and differing rhythm of the first verses. The chapter becomes quite
personal towards the end, and sounds almost like a cry of distress uttered by
someone seeking solace; it ends with a short hymn in this vein.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * A. L. R.

PART FOURTEEN

These are verses from the Book, and a clear Reading.

(Icont'd) * Perhaps those who disbelieve would
like to become Muslims. Leave them eating and enjoying themselves; let hope
distract them, for they soon will know (anyhow). * We have never wiped out any
town unless it had [received] a known term; ** no nation can forestall its
deadline, nor will they ever postpone it. * Yet they say: "You to whom the
Reminder has been sent down, why you're crazy! * Why don't you bring us angels
if you are so truthful?"'

Past and Present

* We do not send down any angels except with the Truth, and even then they
would not be allowed to wait. * We Ourself have sent down the Reminder just as
We are safeguarding it. ** Even before you, We sent [some] down among the sects
of early people; * yet no messenger ever came to them whom they did not sneer
at.

* Thus We slip it into criminals' hearts; * they will not believe in it, even
though the custom of early people has already preceded it. * Even though We
opened up a gate to Heaven for them so they might keep on climbing into it, **
they still would say: "Our eyesight has been dazzled-in fact, we are enchanted
folk!"

Heaven and Earth

(II)*We have placed constellations in the sky and embellished
it for onlookers. * We have safeguarded them against every outcast Satan *
except for such as may try to eavesdrop, so a blazing meteor follows him.

* Earth have We spread out and cast headlands upon it, and planted a bit of
everything to grow there (so it is) well balanced. ** We have placed various
means of livelihood on it for (all of) you as well as anyone you do not have to
provide for. * There is nothing whose stores are not [controlled] by Us, and We
send it down only according to a fixed quantity.

* We send forth fertilizing winds and send down water from the sky and offer
you something to drink from it. You are not the ones who store it up. We give
life and bring death, and We are the Heirs [to every- thing]! We know which of
you try to get ahead and We know those who hold back. ** Your Lord will summon
them; He is Wise, Aware.

(III)*We created man from ringing clay, from moulded slime; * while
the sprites We had created earlier from smokeless fire.

Diabolis at Man's Creation

* So your Lord told the angels: "I am about to create a human being from
ringing clay, from moulded slime. * When I have finished with him and breathed
some of My spirit into him, then drop down on your knees before him." ** The
angels all bowed down together * except for Diabolis; he refused to be one of
those bowing down on their knees.

* He said: "Diabolis, what is wrong with you that you are not among those who
bow down on their knees?" * He said: "I am no one to kneel before a human being
You have created from ringing clay, from moulded slime."

* He said: "Then get out of here, for you are an outcast! ** On you lies the
Curse until the Day for Repayment!"

* He said: 'My Lord, let me wait till the day when they are raised up again."
* He said: "You will be allowed to wait * until a day in known time."

* He said: "My Lord, since You have let me go astray, I shall make things on
earth seem attractive to them; I'll mislead them all ** except for any of Your
sincere servants who may be among them."

* He said: "Here will be a Straight Road [leading] up to Me! * You will not
hold any authority over My servants except for someone who may follow you from
among those who are misguided. * Hell will [serve as] an appointment for all of
them together. * It has seven gates; each gate will have a portion assigned from
them."

Paradise

(IV) **The heedful will be in gardens and by springs:

"Enter them safely, at peace!"

* We will strip away any rancor

that [lingers] in their breasts;

like brethren they will face

one another on couches.

* Toil will not touch them there,

nor will they ever be expelled

from it. * Advise My servants

that I am the Forgiving, Merciful One,

** although My torment will be painful torment.

Abraham

* Advise them about Abraham's guests * how, when they entered his presence
and said: "Peace!", he said: "We feel wary of you." * They said: 'Don't feel so
wary; We bring you word about a clever boy."

* He said: "Have you brought me word like this once old age has set in on me?
What sort of word do you want to spread?" ** They said: "We have brought you
word of the Truth, so do not act so discouraged." * He said: "Who despairs of
his Lord's mercy except those who are lost?"

Lot

* He said: "Yet what is your errand, you emissaries?" * They said: "We have
been sent for some criminal folk, * except for Lot's house; we will rescue them
all ** except his wife. We have decreed that she will be one of those who will
be left behind."

Lot (cont'd)

(V) * When the emissaries came to Lot's household, * he said: "You are folk
who should be ignored." * They said: Rather we have come to you about something
they have been puzzling over. * We have brought you the Truth, for we are
reliable. ** Travel with your family at dead of night; you should follow in
their rear, and let none of you glance around! Keep on going wherever you are
ordered to. * We have passed judgment on that case for him so that those
people's last remnant shall be cut off once morning dawns for them."

Sodom

* The people of the city came up gay with the news. * He said: "These are my
guests so do not disgrace me. * Heed God, and do not shame me." ** They said:
"Didnt we forbid you to have contact with [anyone in] the Universe [outside]?"'
* He said: "These are my daughters if you are going to do (something)."

* Upon your life, they were groping along in their drunkenness * so the Blast
caught them at sunrise: * We turned things upside down and rained down stones
which had been stamped with their names on them. ** In that are signs for
investigators; * and it lies along a permanent highway.

Midian

* In that is a sign for believers. * The Companions in the Forest had been
wrongdoers, so We avenged Ourself on them. Both are a clear indication.

(VI) **The inhabitants of Stoneland rejected the emissaries. *
We gave them Our signs even though they had shunned them. * They had confidently
hewn houses out of the mountains. * So the Blast caught them early one morning *
and what they had been earning did not help them out.

** We have only created Heaven and Earth and whatever lies between them for
the sake of Truth. The Hour is coming on, so examine [matters] with fine
discrimination. * Your Lord is the Clever Creator!

* We have brought you seven Oft-Repeated (verses] plus the Mighty Qur`an. *
Do not strain your eyes towards what We let some types of them enjoy; do not
feel saddened by them, and lower your [sheltering] wing over believers.

Handling Critics

* SAY:"I am the plain Warner," ** (such as We have sent down for the
quibblers * who have torn the Quran apart. By your Lord, We shall question them
all * about whatever they have been doing!) * So proclaim whatever you are
ordered to, and shun associators; * We will suffice for you against such
scoffers * who place another deity alongside God [Alone], They soon will know!

Prayer is Consoling

* We already know how cramped your breast feels because of what they say: so
hymn your Lord's praise and be one of those who bow down on their knees (in
worship).

* Serve your Lord until conviction comes to you!

16. Bees

THIS SIXTEEN-SECTION chapter consists of 127 late Meccan verses, except for
the last three which date from Madina. It was revealed after TheCave
18 and before Noah 71, and belongs to a new group of chapters dating
from the late Meccan period. The chapter is slightly longer than the others in
this part and quite beautiful, containing many elevated thoughts.

The theme includes exhortations which give a clue to good behavior and
commendable conduct. Pagan practices and beliefs are condemned in sections
V-VIII. The Bee appears in V. 68 (IX). Agriculture has been mentioned
first in II, and the food which God provides us with in IX and XV. Parables like
"The Slave, the Master and the Dumb Man" (X) and "The Disbelieving Town" (XV)
also form part of this chapter. The advantage of keeping one's word or oaths and
avoiding mutual deceit appears in section XIII, where we are instructed on how
to recite the Quran.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

Association is Foolish

(I)* God's command is coming, so do not seek to hasten its appearance.

Glory be to Him!

Exalted is He over anything

they may associate [with Him]!

* He sends down angels with the Breath of His command on any of His servants
He may wish: "Warn [mankind] that there is no deity except Me; so heed Me!" * He
has created Heaven and Earth in all Truth; Exalted is He over anything they
associate [with Him]!

God's Favors; Livestock

* He creates man from a drop of semen, yet he is an open opponent; **and
livestock has He created for you in which are warmth and [other] advantages and
some of which you use for food. * You have beauty in them when you drive them
home to rest, and whenever you lead them out to pasture. * They transport your
loads to lands you would not reach except through travail for yourselves-your
Lord is so Gentle, Merciful*-- as well as horses, mules and donkeys for you to
ride on and to show them off. He even creates something you do not know. * On
God rests the search for the Way, though sideroads may branch off from it. If He
so wished, He would even guide you all.

Agriculture

(II) ** He is the One Who sends down water from the sky. You have
something to drink from it, and from it shrubs you use for forage. * He grows
you crops by means of it: olives, datepalms, grapevines and every sort of fruit.
In that is a sign for folk who will think things over. * He has regulated night
and daylight for you, while the sun, moon and stars are subjected to His
command. In that are signs for folk who use their minds; * as well as in
anything He has scattered over the earth for you with different colors. In that
is a sign for folk who remember.

* He is the One Who regulates the sea so you may eat fresh meat from it and
extract jewelry you may wear from it. You see ships sailing along through it so
you (all) may seek some of His bounty, in order that you may feel grateful. **
He has set up headlands on the earth lest it sway with you, and rivers and paths
so that you may be guided, * as well landmarks, and by stars are they guided
[too].

False Gods

* Is Someone Who creates like someone who does not create anything? Will you
not bear this in mind? * If you counted up God's favor, you would never
calculate it; God is Forgiving, Merciful. * God knows anything you hide and
anything you display. ** Those whom they invoke instead of God do not create a
thing, while they themselves have be created; * dead, lifeless, they do not even
perceive the times when they will be raised up again.

(III) * Your God is God Alone!

Those who do not believe in the Hereafter have hearts which refuse to learn
while they are overproud. * God knows absolutely anything they hide and anything
they disclose; yet He does not love the prideful.

* Whenever someone tells them: "What has your Lord sent down?", they say:
"Legends by primitive people!" ** Let them carry all their own burdens on
Resurrection Day as well as some burdens for those whom they have misled without
having any knowledge! Surely what they bear is evil!

Scheming Goes Away

(IV) * Those before them schemed, and God reached for their buildings through
its foundations, so the roof caved in on them and torment came at them from
where they did not even suspect it. * Then He will shame the on Resurrection Day
and say: "Where are My associates through who you have fallen into
disagreement?" Those who have been given knowledge will say: "Shame and evil
[will fall] today on disbelievers, * whom the angels will carry away while they
are harming themselves."

They will offer to surrender: "We were not doing anything evil!" Nevertheless
God is Aware of what you have been doing, * so enter Hell's gates to remain
there. How awful will the lodging of the prideful be.

Future Bliss

** Those who have done their duty will be told: "What has your Lord sent
down?" They will say: "(The very) Best!" Those who have acted kind in this world
will have a fine thing, while their Home in the Hereafter will be even better.
How splendid will the Home for the heedful be: * gardens of Eden will they enter
where rivers will flow beneath them. They will have whatever they wish in it;
thus God rewards those who do their duty,* whom the angels carry off while they
are good persons, saying: "Peace upon you! Enter the Garden because of what you
have been doing." * Are they merely waiting for the angels to come to them, or
your Lord's command to come along? That is what those before them did, and God
did not harm them but rather they harmed themselves. * The evil deeds which they
had been doing assailed them, and what they had been sneering at swept in around
them!

(V) ** Those who associate [others with God] say: 'If God so wished, neither
we nor our forefathers would have served anything besides Him, nor would we have
forbidden anything besides Him." Thus have those before them done!

Need messengers do anything except to proclaim things clearly.? * We have
dispatched a messenger to every nation [who said]: "Serve God [Alone] and turn
aside from the Arrogant ones." Some of them God has guided, while others there
are for whom error has been confirmed. Travel around the earth and see how the
outcome was for those who deny [everything].

* Even if you are eager to guide them, God still does not guide someone who
misleads another and they will have no supporters. * They have sworn by God with
their most solemn oaths, God will not raise up anyone who dies. Nonetheless it
is a promise truly binding on Him, even though most men do not realize it, * so
He may explain to them what they have been differing over, and so those who
disbelieve may know that they have been lying. ** Our statement for anything We
have willed, is only for Us to tell it: "Be!", and it exists.

(VI) * We shall settle those who have migrated for God's sake after they were
wronged, in something fine during this world, while the wages in the Hereafter
will be even greater, did those who act patient and rely on their Lord only
know. * Before you We have only sent men whom We have inspired so ask people
about the Reminder: "If you have not known * about explanations and the Psalms,
We still sent you down the Reminder so you may explain to mankind what was sent
down to them, so that they may meditate."

** Do those who plot evil deeds feel safe that God will not have the earth
swallow them up, or torment come upon them from where they do not notice it? *
Or lest He should overtake them as they bustle around and they cannot prevent
it, * or catch them so they waste away.? Yet your Lord is Gentle, Merciful!

BOW DOWN HERE

* Have they not considered how everything God has created has its shadows
move from right to left, bowing down to God so they themselves feel of
lessened importance? * Whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth bows
down before God, whether they are animals or angels, and they do not act
proudly; ** they fear their Lord Above them, and do whatever they are ordered
to.

Dualism Condemned

(VII)* God says: "Do not adopt two gods:

there exists only God Alone,

and I am the One you should revere.

He owns whatever is in Heaven and Earth, while religion is His for ever and
ever. Will you heed something besides God? * You will receive no favor unless it
comes from God. Yet whenever some harm touches you, you plead with Him; * then
when He removes the harm from you, why a group of you will associate (others)
with your Lord, ** renouncing whatever We have given them! "So enjoy yourselves,
for you soon shall know!"

Paganism as well

* They assign a portion of what We have provided them with, to something they
do not know (by God, you shall be questioned about whatever you have been
inventing)! * They (even) assign daughters to God. Glory be to Him! They
themselves have what they desire. * Yet whenever one of them receives word he
has had a daughter, his face becomes black with gloom and he feels like choking.
* He hides from folk because of the bad news that he has just received. Will he
hold on to her and feel disgraced, or bury her in the dust?

Whatever they decide is evil! ** Those who do not believe in the Hereafter
set an evil example. God sets the Highest Example, for He is the Powerful, the
Wise.

(VIII)*If God were to take mankind to task for their wrongdoing, He
would not leave even an animal around; but He puts them off till an appointed
deadline. Once their deadline comes, they will not postpone it for an hour nor
may they advance it. * They assign to God something they themselves dislike
while their tongues mouth a lie: that the finest things will belong to them. The
Fire will absolutely be theirs and they will be abandoned to it!

* By God, We have sent for nations before you, and Satan has made their
actions seem attractive to them! He is their patron today, while they shall have
painful torment. * We have merely sent the Book down to you so you may explain
to them what they are differing over, and as a guidance and mercy for folk who
believe. ** God sends water down from the sky and revives the earth with it
following its death. In that is a sign for folk who will listen!

God's Provision

(IX)* You have a lesson in livestock: We let you drink what comes from their
bellies in between the cud and blood, pure refreshing milk for those who drink
it. * From the fruit of the datepalm and grapevine you derive intoxicants as
well as fine nourishment; in that is a sign for folk who reason.

The Bees' Instinct

* Your Lord has inspired the Bees: "Set up hives in the mountains, and
in trees and on anything they may build. * Then eat some of every kind of fruit
and slip humbly along your Lord's byways."

Honey

From their bellies comes a drink with different colors which contains healing
for mankind. In that is a sign for folk who will meditate!

** God has created you; then He will gather you (all) in. Some of you will be
sent on to the feeblest age of all, so that they will not know a thing after
once having had knowledge. God is Aware, Capable.

Class Distinction

(X)* God has favored some of you over others in providing [for them]. Yet
those who have been so made to excel are not going to hand over their provision
to those whom their right hands control, so they become equal [partners] in it.
Would they thus disclaim God's favor? * God has granted you spouses from among
yourselves, and granted you children and grand- children by means of your
spouses. He has provided you with wholesome things. So will they still believe
in falsehood while they disbelieve in God's favor? * Instead of God, they
worship something that does not control any provision for them in any way in
either Heaven or Earth, while they themselves can do nothing.

Parables;

* Do not make up any parables about God; God knows while you do not know!

The Slave, the Master and the Dumb Man

** God has made a comparison between a slave owned [by someone else] who
cannot accomplish a thing, and someone whom We have provided for handsomely. He
spends some of it privately and publicly. Arethey equal? Praise be to
God! Rather most of them do not know. * God offers another comparison between
two men, one of whom is dumb and cannot do a thing, and is a nuisance to his
master. Wherever he sends him on an errand, he brings [him] no good. Is he equal
to someone who gives proper orders and is on a Straight Road?

(XI) * To God belongs the Unseen of Heaven and Earth. What will the business
of the [final] Hour be like, except the twinkling of an eye, or it may be even
closer? God is Capable of everything!

* God has brought you out of your mothers' wombs; you knew nothing then,
while He has granted you hearing, eyesight and vital organs so that you may feel
thankful. * Do they not see how the birds are governed in mid air: only God
holds them up! In that are signs for folk who believe.

** God has granted you your houses as homes to live in, and granted you the
skins of livestock [to make] houses which you find so light on the day you pack
them up to move elsewhere and the day you come to a halt. From their wool, their
fur and their hair come furnishings and commodities for a while. God has granted
you shade out of what He has created, and granted you resorts in the mountains,
and granted you garments with which to protect yourselves from the heat as well
as garments to ward off your own violence.

Thus He completes His favor towards you so that you may commit yourselves to
(live in) peace. * Should they still turn away, you have only to announce
matters clearly. * They recognize God's favor; then they disregard it. Most of
them are disbelievers.

(XII) *Some day We shall raise up a witness from every nation; then
permission will not be granted those who disbelieve nor will they be allowed to
argue back. ** When those who do wrong see the torment, it will neither be
lightened for them nor will they be granted any delay.

Association Punished

* When those who have associated [others with God] see their associates [in
such worship], they will say: "Our Lord, these are our associates whom we
appealed to instead of to You."

They will toss the statement back at them: "You're lying!" * They will
proffer their surrender to God on that day, while anything they were inventing
will leave them in the lurch. * We shall inflict torment upon torment on those
who have disbelieved and obstructed God's path, because of how abusive they have
acted. * Some day We shall raise up a witness from every nation against them
from among themselves. We shall even bring you as a witness against such
persons. We have sent the Book down to you to explain everything, and for
guidance and mercy, and as good news for Muslims.

(XIII) ** God commands justice, kindness and giving [their due] to near
relatives, while He forbids sexual misconduct, debauchery and insolence. He so
instructs you (all) so that you may draw attention to it.

On Keeping Oaths

* FulfilGod's agreement once you have pledged to do so, and do not
break any oaths once they have been sworn to. You have set God up as a Surety
for yourselves; God knows whatever you do.

Exploitation

* Do not be like a woman who unravels her yarn after its strands have been
firmly spun. You use your oaths in order to snatch at advantagesover
one another, just because one nation may be more prosperous thananother
nation. God is only testing you by means of it; so He may explain to you on
Resurrection Day what you have been disagreeing about.

Its Responsibility

* If God had wished, He would have set you up as one community, but He lets
anyone He wishes go astray, and guides anyone He wishes. You shall (all) be
questioned about whatever you have been doing.

Mutual Deceit

* Do not use your oaths to take advantage of one another. Still one's foot
may slip after it has felt secure, and you may taste evil for having blocked off
God's way. You will have serious torment. ** Do not sell God's agreement for a
paltry price; only what God has is best for you, if you only realized it. *
Anything you have is temporary; while whatever God has is everlasting.

We will reward those who have been patient with their earnings according to
the finest deeds they have been doing. * We shall let anyone who acts honorably,
whether it is a man or a woman, provided he is a believer, live a happy
life and reward them with their earnings for the finest deeds they have been
doing.

How to Read the Quran

* Whenever you read the Quran, seek refuge with God from Satan theOutcast; * he has no authority over those who believe and rely on their
Lord. *** His authority rests only on those who enlist him as a patron, and who
associate others with Him.

(XIV)*Whenever We shift a verse from its context in favor of another
verse (God is quite Aware of what He sends down!), they say: "You are merely an
impostor." Indeed most of them do not know anything! * SAY: 'The Holy Spirit has
brought it down as Truth from your Lord to brace those who believe, and as
guidance and good news for Muslims."

* We already know they are saying: "It is merely a human being who is
teaching him!" The tongue of the person whom they hint at is foreign, while this
is clear Arabic speech. * God will never guide those who do not believe in God's
signs, while they will have painful torment.

Apostasy OR Backsliding

** Those who do not believe in God's signs are merely inventing a lie; such
men are liars. Anyone who disbelieves in God after having once made his
profession of faith except for someone who is compelled to while his heart is
unwavering in its faith-but anyone who lays (his) breast wide open to disbelief
will have wrath from God [descend] on him. They have awful torment! * That is
because they cherish worldly life rather the Hereafter. God does not guide
disbelieving folk.

* Those are the ones whose hearts, hearing and eyesight God has sealed off.
Those are the heedless. * They will positively be the losers in the Hereafter.
** Even then your Lord-for those who have migrated after they were persecuted,
then struggled and were patient-after such [trials] your Lord will be Forgiving,
Merciful.

(XV) * Some day each soul will come to plead for itself, and every soul be
repaid according to whatever it has done, and they will not be wronged.

The Disbelieving Town

* God has made up a parable about a town which had been safe, tranquil; its
livelihood was brought to it comfortably from every quarter.

Yet it disbelieved in God's favors, and God let it experience a pall of
hunger and fear because of what they had been producing. * A messenger came to
them from among themselves and they rejected him. Torment seized them while they
were doing wrong.

Food

* So eat any lawful, wholesome thing God has provided you with, and be
thankful for God's favor if you have been worshipping Him. ** He has only
forbidden you carrion, blood, and pork, as well as anything that has been
consecrated to something besides God. Yet anyone who is obliged to do so without
desiring it nor going to excess (will find) God is Forgiving, Merciful.

* Do not tell a lie about something your tongues describe (such as): "This is
lawful, while this is forbidden!"; so that you fabricate a lie against God.
Those who fabricate a lie about God will not prosper: * (they will have] slight
enjoyment, and they shall [then] have painful punishment.

* We forbade those who became Jews what We have already told you about; We
did not harm them, but they harmed themselves. * Then your Lord-for those who
had done evil out of ignorance, then repented later on and reformed-your Lord
was afterward Forgiving, Merciful.

(XVI) ** Abraham formed a community that was devoted to God since he was
righteous and was no associator; * grateful for His favors, He chose and guided
him to a Straight Road. * We gave him a fine thing in this world, and he will be
among the honorable in the Hereafter. * Then we inspired you: "Follow the sect
of Abraham the Seeker; he was no associator [of others in his worship of God]."

The Sabbath

* The Sabbath was set up only for those who disagreed about it. Your Lord
will pass judgment on them on Resurrection Day concerning what- ever they have
been disagreeing about. ** Invite [people] to your Lord's way with discretion
and kindly instruction, and discuss [things] with them in the politest manner.
Your Lord is quite Aware as to who has strayed from His path, just as He is
quite Aware of those who have consented to be guided.

Behavior and Punishment

* If you (all) should punish them, then do your punishing to the same extent
as you have been punished. Yet if you are patient, well [things go] better for
the patient. * Act patient; your patience comes only from God. Do not feel
saddened because of them nor be in any anguish over how they plot. * God stands
alongside those who fulfil their duty and who act kindly!

PART FIFTEEN

17. The Night Journey (or The Children of Israel)

THISCHAPTER consists of twelve sections of 111 Meccan verses, except
for vv. 26, 32-33, 37 and 73-80 (these are in sections III,IV,VIII-IX) which
date from the Madinese period. It was revealed after Stories 28 and
before the last verse in The Cow 2, and shortly before the Prophet's
Transfer or Hijra to Madina. The title Al-Miraj in Arabic is the
singular of Al-Maarij or 'Staircases Upward' which is the title for
Chapter 70 (it is also given as Al-Isra,). The celestial journey or
ascension to Heaven is celebrated on the twenty-seventh night of the month of
Rajab, five weeks before the fast of Ramadan begins. An alternative title to the
chapter is The Children of Israel and still another is Glory!
taken from the first word (Subhan) in the chapter (and at Section X).

The style at the beginning is closely interwoven. The chapter opens with a
solemn announcement of the Prophet's ascension as a lilting symphony which the
Italian poet Dante was to use later on in a more elaborate form for his
Divine Comedy. An easily obtainable description of this tradition in
English is found in Jeffery's Islam, pp. 35-42. Its translation and
interpretation are extremely difficult; Ibn-Kathir's is probably the best.

Next there follows moral legislation, including one version of the Islamic
"Do Not's" which stresses personal responsibility and the seriousness of
associating others in our pure worship of God Alone (II).The treatment
of parents and charity are other themes of morality (III-IV). Disbelievers are
aptly described in section V. The chapter ends with a long section on how to
read the Quran and how to pray (IX-XII); see also I and V. In short, this is one
of the most important and sustained chapters in the Quran, and its beauty is
inimitable.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

Announcing the Prophet's Ascension

(I)* Glory be to Him Who had His servant travel by night from the
Hallowed Mosque to the Further Mosque whose surroundings We have blessed, so We
might show him some of Our signs! He is the Alert, the Observant!

* We gave Moses the Book and granted it as guidance for the Childrenof Israel: "Do not accept any defender except Me!" * [They were]
offspring [of those] whom We put on board with Noah; he was agrateful
servant. * We decreed in the Book concerning the Children of Israel: "You
will create havoc on earth twice, and display great haughtiness."

** When the first of both warnings came, we despatched servants of Ours to
inflict severe violence upon you (all). They rampaged through [your] homes, and
it served as a warning which was acted upon. * Then We offered you another
chance against them, and reinforced you with wealth and children, and granted
you more manpower. * If you have acted kindly, you acted kindly towards
yourselves, while if you committed any evil, it was towards [yourselves] as
well.

Thus the warning about the next one came along to trouble your persons, and
so they would enter the Mosque just as they had entered it in the first place,
so they might utterly annihilate anything they overcame. * Perhaps your Lord may
show mercy to you. If you should turn back, We will go back (too) and turn Hell
into a confinement for disbelievers! * This Quran guides one to something that
is more straightforward and reassures believers who perform honorable actions;
they shall have great earnings. ** Nevertheless We have reserved painful torment
for those who do not believe in the Hereafter.

(II) *Man appeals for evil during his appeal for good; everyman has
been so hasty!

* We have granted night and daylight as twin signs. We blot out the sign of
night, and grant the sign of daylight to see by so you may seek bounty from your
Lord and know how to count the years and other such reckoning. Everything have
We set forth in detail.

Man's Book

* We have tied everyman's fate around his neck; and We shall produce a book
for him on Resurrection Day that he will find spread open; * "Read your book;
today there will be none but yourself to call you to account!"

Personal Responsibility

** Anyone who submits to guidance will be guided only so far as he himself is
concerned, while anyone who strays away, only strays by himself. No burdened
soul shall bear another's burden.

We have never acted as punishers until We have despatched some messenger: *
yet whenever We want to wipe out some town, We order its high-livers so they act
depraved in it; thus the Sentence about it is proven to be right and We utterly
annihilate it. * How many generations did We destroy since Noah? Sufficient is
it for your Lord to be Informed, Observant of His servants' sins!

Free Choice

* For anyone who wants the fleeting present, We let whatever We wish to flit
past anyone We want it to. Then We set up Hell for him; he will roast in it,
condemned, disgraced. * Anyone who wants the Hereafter and makes a proper effort
to achieve it while he is a believer, will have their effort gratified. ** Each
We shall supply, these as well as those, with a gift from your Lord: your Lord's
gift will never be withheld.

* Watch how We have permitted some of them to get ahead of others. The
Hereafter will be greater in [conferring] ranks and even greater in attainment.

The Islamic "DO NOTS":

* Do not place any other deity alongside God, lest you sit back, condemned,
forsaken.

Association Condemned

(III) * Your Lord has decreed that you should worship nothing except Him, and
[show] kindness to your parents; whether either of them or both of them should
attain old age [while they are] still with you, never say to them: "Naughty!"
nor scold either of them. Speak to them in a generous fashion. * Protect them
carefully from outsiders, and SAY: "My Lord, show them mercy, just as they cared
for me [when I was] a little child!"

** Your Lord is quite Aware of anything that is on your minds; if you behave
honorably, then He will be Forgiving towards those who are attentive.

Charity

* Render your close relative his due, as well as the pauper and the wayfarer.
Yet do not squander [your money] extravagantly; * spendthrifts are the devils'
brethren, and Satan has always been ungrateful towards his Lord. * Yet if you
have to avoid them, seeking some mercy which you may expect from your Lord,
still speak a courteous word to them. * Do not keep your hand gripping at your
throat nor stretch it out as far as it will reach, lest you sit back
blameworthy, destitute. ** Your Lord extends sustenance to anyone He wishes, and
measures it out; He is Informed, Observant about His servants.

Other Moral Legislation

(IV) * Do not kill your children in dread of poverty; We shall provide for
both them and you. Killing them is a serious blunder!

* Do not commit adultery. Itis shocking and an evil way [to behave].

* Do not kill any soul whom God has forbidden you to, except through [due
process of] law. We have given his nearest relatives authority for anyone who is
killed unjustly-yet let him not overdo things in killing [the culprit], inasmuch
as he has been so supported.

* Do not approach an orphan's estate before he comes of age unless it is to
improve it.

Responsibility

Fulfil your oaths; any promise will be checked into.

** Give full measure whenever you measure out anything, and weigh with honest
scales; that is better and the finest way of acting.

* Do not worry over something you have no knowledge about: your
hearing, eyesight and vital organs will all be questioned concerning it.

* Do not prance saucily around the earth; you can never tunnel through the
earth nor rival the mountains in height.

* All that is evil with your Lord, to be hated. * Such is some of the wisdom
your Lord has revealed to you.

Association Again

Do not place any other deity alongside God [Alone] lest you be tossed into
Hell, blamed, rejected. ** Has your Lord singled you out to have sons, while He
has accepted daughters from among the angels [for Himself]? You are uttering
such a serious statement!

(V) * We have already spelled out matters in this Reading so they will notice
it, even though it only adds to their disgust.

Paganism, Association Once More

* SAY: "If there were (other) gods along with Him as they say, then they
would have sought a way to the Possessor of the Throne. * Glory be to
Him! How greatly Exalted is He over anything they may say! * The Seven Heavens
and Earth, as well as whoever is in them, glorify Him. Nothing exists unless it
hymns His praise; yet you do not understand their glorification. Still He has
been Lenient, Forgiving.

On Reciting the Quran

** Whenever you read the Quran, We place a hidden curtain between you and
those who do not believe in the Hereafter. * We place wrappers over their hearts
lest they comprehend it, and dullness in their ears. When you mention your Lord
Alone in the Quran they even turn their backs in disgust!

Disbelievers

* We are quite Aware as to what they are listening for when they
listen to you, and whenever they conspire together, then wrongdoers will say:
"You are only following a man who is bewitched!," * Watch what sort of stories
they make up about you. They have strayed away and are unable to finda
way back. * They say: "When we are bones and mortal remains, will we be raised
up in some fresh creation?"

** SAY: "Become stones or iron * or any creation that seems important enough
to fill your breasts;" so they will say: "Who will bring us back [to life]?"
SAY: "The One Who originated you in the first place."

They will wag their heads at you and say: "When will it be?" SAY: "Perhaps it
is near! * Some day He will call on you, and you will respond in praise of Him.
You will assume you have lingered for only a little while."

(VI)*Tell My servants that they should say whatever is politest.
Satan stirs up trouble among them; Satan is an open enemy to man!" * Your Lord
is quite Aware of you (all); if He wishes, He will show you mercy, while if He
wishes,

He will punish you, We have not sent you as a trustee over them. ** Your Lord
is quite Aware of whoever is in Heaven and Earth. We have made some prophets
excel over others, and given David the Psalms.

Saints' Worship

* SAY: "Invoke those whom you claim to have besides Him: they do control any
means of removing harm from you, nor for changing * Even those whom they appeal
to, crave access to their Lord, vying to nearest. They hope for His mercy and
fear His torment. Your Lo torment is something to beware of.'

* No town exists but We shall act as its Destroyers before Resurrect Day, or
as its Punishers by means of severe torment. That has recorded in the Book. *
Nothing has prevented Us from sending except that early men rejected them. We
sent Thamud the she-camel to open their eyes, yet they mistreated her. We merely
send signs in order to frighten [people]. ** Thus We told you: "Your Lord
embraces [all] kind." We granted the vision which We showed you only as a test
for mankind, as well as the Tree that is cursed in the Quran. We let them feel
afraid; yet it only increases great arrogance in them.

Iblis OR Diabolis

(VII) *When We told the angels: "Bow down on your knees before Adam,"
they (all) knelt down except Diabolis. He said: "Am I to bow down on my knees
before someone You have created out of clay?" *He said [further] : "Have You
considered this person Yourself whom You have honored more than me? If You will
postpone things for m Resurrection Day, then I shall bring all but a few of his
offspring un mastery."

* He said: "Go away! Any of them who follows you will have your reward; it is
such an ample reward! * Entice any of them whom you can with your voice. Set
upon them with your cavalry and your manpower. Share wealth and children with
them, and promise them anything. (Yet Satan merely promises them illusion.) **
As for My servants, you will have no authority over them; your Lord suffices as
a Trustee."

* Your Lord is the One Who propels ships for you at sea, so you may seek some
of His bounty. He has been so Merciful towards you! * Whenever some adversity
strikes you at sea, anyone you appeal to besides Him leaves [you] in the lurch;
yet whenever We bring you safely to port, you (all) turn away evasively. Man has
been so thankless!

* Do you feel so safe that He will not let a slice of land cave in beneath
you, or send a sandstorm down on you? Then you will find no agent to act on your
behalf! * Or do you feel so secure that He will send you another chance at it,
and drive a smashing gale against you which will drown you because you have
disbelieved? Then you will not find any follower in it to [help] you against Us.
** We have dignified the Children of Adam and transported them around on land
and at sea. we have provided them with wholesome things and favored them
especially over many of those whom We have created.

Spiritual Blindness

(VIII) * Some day We shall call forth all mankind along with whoever has led
them, Those who are given their book in their right hand, will read their book
and not be harmed one bit; while anyone who has been blind in this [life] will
remain blind in the Hereafter, and go even further astray .

* They almost lure you away from what We have revealed to you, in order to
invent something else against Us; then they would adopt you as a bosom friend! *
If we had not braced you, you might have almost inclined a little bit towards
them. ** Then We would have made you taste a double share of life and a double
one of dying; then you would not have found any supporter for yourself against
Us! * They almost scare you off the earth, to exile you from it. Yet they would
never survive you except for a short while.

* [Such has been] the practice with any of Our messengers whom We have sent
before you. You will never find any chance in Our course!

Prayer

(IX)*Keep up prayer from the decline of the sun, until twilight a
night;

and [observe] the Reading at daybreak, since reading [the Quran]
atdaybreak will be witnessed!

* At night, wake up and pray during it[s reading] as an extra bonus
for yourself; perhaps your Lord will raise you once again to a praiseworthy
standing.

* We send down something from the Quran [to serve] as healing and a mercy for
believers, while wrongdoers are only increased in loss.

* Whenever We show man some favor, he avoids it and drifts off to one side;
while whenever evil touchcs him, he acts desperate. * SAY: "Everyone acts
according to his own disposition. Your Lord is quite Aware as to who is best
guided along the Way.

The Holy Spirit

(X) ** They will ask you about the Spirit.

SAY:"The Spirit [operates] at my Lord's command, while you have been
given only a smattering of knowledge." * If We so wished, We would take away
anything We have inspired you with; then you would not find anyone you could
rely on against Us with it * except for some mercy from your Lord, His bounty
towards you has been great! * SAY:"Even if men and sprites organized to
produce something like this Reading, they would never bring anything like it no
matter how much assistance they lent one another." * We have set forth every
[kind of] parable for mankind in this Reading; yet most men refuse to do
anything except disbelieve.

Disbelief OR Skeptics

** They say: "We will never believe in you unless you cause a spring to gush
forth from the earth for us, * or have a garden full of datepalms and grapevines
and make rivers gush forth plentifully through the midst of them, * or you cause
the sky to fall in pieces on us just as you claim, bring God and His angels to
vouch for you, * or you have a luxurious house built, or soar up into the sky;
we will never believe in your climbing up there until you bring down a book for
us to read."

SAY: 'Glory be to my Lord! Am I anything but a human messenger?"

Skeptics Again

(XI) *Nothing prevents men from believing whenever guidance comes to
them except that they say: "Has God despatched a mortal as a messenger?" ** SAY:
"If there had been angels calmly walking around on earth, we would have sent an
angel down from Heaven as a messenger for them."

* SAY: "God suffices as a Witness between me and you (all). He is Informed,
Observant about His servants." * Anyone whom God guides, remains guided, while
you will never find any sponsors besides Himself for those He lets go astray. We
will summon them face down on Resurrection Day, blind, dumb and deaf; their
lodging will be Hell. Every time it dies down, We will make it blaze up again
for them. * Such will be their reward for disbelieving in Our signs and saying:
"Once we are bones and mortal remains, will we be raised up again in some fresh
creation?"

* Do they not consider that God, Who has created Heaven and Earth, is Able to
create the like of them? He has set them a deadline there is no oubt about, yet
wrongdoers refuse to do anything except disbelieve. *** SAY: "Even if you
controlled the treasures of my Lord's mercy, you would still hold them back in
dread of overspending [them]. Man is so grudging!"

Moses and the Children of Israel

(XII) *We gave Moses nine clear signs. Ask the Children of Israel
about how, when he came to them and Pharaoh told him: "I think you areout of
your mind, Moses!", * he said: "You know that no one except them Lord of Heaven
and Earth has sent these down as insights. I think you are doomed, Pharaoh!"

* He wanted to scare them away from the land, so We drowned him and everyone
who accompanied him. * Later on, We told the Children of Israel: 'Settle
down in the land. When the promise about the Hereafter comes along, We will
bring you in as a rabble."

How to Read the Quran

** We have really sent it down, and it has come down for the Truth. We have
sent you only as a newsbearer and warner; * and for a Reading which We have
divided up soyou can read it to people in sittings. We have sent it down
as a successive revelation.

BOW DOWN HERE

* SAY: "Believe in it, or do not believe in it;" those who have already been
given knowledge fall down bowing with their faces [on the ground]whenever
it is recited to them, * while they say:

"Glory to our Lord!

Our Lord's promise has come true!

* They fall down with their faces [on the ground], weeping and it increases
them in reverence.

How to Pray

** SAY: "Appeal to God, or appeal to the Mercy-giving: whichever [name] you
may invoke, He still has the Finest Names. Do not shout in your prayer nor say
it under your breath; seek a course in between.

SAY:"Praise be to God Who has adopted no son and has no partner in
control." He needs no protector against pettiness. Magnify Him greatly!

18. The Cave

THE FOLLOWING chapter is arranged in twelve sections and consist of 110
Meccan verses. However verse 28 and verses 83-101 on Double Horns (XI) date from
the Madinese period. It was revealed after The Pall 88 and before Bees
16, and it forms a series of narratives in the manner of Joseph's
story in Chapter 12 and Stories 28.

The chief narration concerns the so-called "Sleepers in the Cave" who are
mentioned in Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (ch.
XXXIII, end) which that historian calls a legend. These sleepers were young men
who were persecuted because they did not want to become associators or to
worship other deities or idols. It is clear this is an allegory and that their
number does not matter. It apparently refers to the difficulties of belief
within the Christian church during its early centuries. This story is important
since it shows how religions previous to Islam had become corrupted, and how
some early Christians resisted such ideas.

Towards the end, Moses' mystic journey after Truth is related (IX-X). Double
Horns may give the story of Alexander the Great which interested the Middle East
as much as it did medieval Europe (XI), Most of this is allegorical, as we are
clearly told at the end of the story of the Sleepers, and it should not be taken
too literally; the collection of tales merely provides us with a running
commentary on significant events.

Other sections deal with the sin of association, the virtue of tolerance,
Hell and Heaven (IV), and charming parables like the Grateful and Ungrateful
Farmers (V); Rain from Heaven (VI); and Diabolis' meeting with Adam (VIL). It
ends with the little gem called "The Words of the Lord" (XII). As a whole the
style resembles that of Chapter 71 on Noah (SEE Introduction to Chapter
72 Sprites on the allegorical style). Pickthall's explanation in his
introduction to this chapter is also clear and easy to read.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I)* Praise be to God, Who has sent down the Book for His servants and
has placed no distortion in it; * [it is] straightforward, so He may warn about
serious violence from Himself and give good news to believers who perform
honorable deeds. they will have a handsome wage, * to bask in it for ever and
ever.

* He warns those who say: "God has adopted a son." ** They have no knowledge
about it, nor did their forefathers have any either. It is too serious a
statement to come out of their mouths: they are merely telling a lie! * Perhaps
you will fret yourself to death checking up on them, worrying lest they will not
believe this report. * We have placed whatever is on earth as an ornament for it
so We may test them as to which one is best in action; * and We shall turn
anything on it into a barren wasteland.

The Sleepers in the Cave

* Have you considered how the Companions in the Cave and with the
Tablet were such marvellous signs of Ours? ** Thus the youths sought shelter in
the Cave, and said: "Our Lord, grant us mercy from Your presence and
furnish us with some direction in our affair." * We struck them with drowsiness
in the Cave for several years; * then We awakened them again so We might
know which of the two parties would best calculate how long a stretch they had
remained [there].

(II) *We shall relate their story to you correctly:

They were young men who believed in their Lord, and We gave them extra
guidance. * We strengthened their hearts when they stood up and said: "Our Lord
is Lord of Heaven and Earth. We will never appeal to any deity except Him;
should we say [such a thing], then it would be an outrage. ** These people of
ours have adopted other gods besides Him. If they would only bring some clear
authority to support them!"

Who is more in the wrong than someone who invents a lie about God? * When you
withdraw from them and whatever they serve instead of God, then seek shelter in
the Cave. Your Lord will spread some of His mercy over you and make
fitting arrangements for you in your affair.

* You should have seen how the sun as it rose, swerved away from their
Cave toward the right; and as it set, slanted off toward the left of
them, while they lay in a space in between. That was one of God's signs. Anyone
whom God guides, remains guided; while anyone He lets go astray will never find
any patron to set him straight.

(III) *You would reckon they were awake, while they [really] lay
there asleep. We turned them over on the right and on the left, while their dog
lay stretched out with his forepaws over the threshold. If you had chanced upon
them, you would have turned and fled from them; you would have been filled with
awe of them!

* Even so We raised them up again so they might question one another. One of
them spoke up and said: "How long have you stayed [here]?" They said: "We have
stayed a day, or part of a day." They said: "Your Lord is quite Aware of how
long you have stayed [here], so send one of your men to the city with this coin
of yours. Let him see which food is the most suitable and bring you [back] a
supply of it. Let him act discreetly and not make anyone aware of you. ** If
they should find out about you, they will stone you or make you turn back to
their sect. You would never succeed then!" * Thus We disclosed things to them so
they might know that God's promise has come true and there is no doubt about the
Hour.

So [people] debated their case among themselves, and they said: "Build a
monument over them. Their Lord is quite Aware of them." Those who won out in the
end said: "Let us erect a shrine for them," * They will say: "[They were] three,
the fourth of them being their dog;" while [others] will say: "Five, the sixth
of them is their dog," guessing at the Unseen. [Still others] say: "Seven, and
the eighth of them is their dog."

Allegory

SAY: "My Lord is quite Aware as to how many they were. Only a few know about
them." Do not discuss them except in a discussion that is obvious, nor seek
anyone else's opinion about them.

** And they stayed in their Cave for three hundred years plus nine
more. * SAY: "God is quite Aware as to how long they stayed [there]. He holds
the Unseen in Heaven and Earth; He is quite Observant of it, quite Alert as
well. They have no patron besides Him, nor does He let anyone else share in His
discretion."

Tolerance

Free Will

* Quote whatever has been revealed to you from your Lord's book: there is no
one who may change His words, nor will you ever find any sanctuary except in
Him. * Restrain yourself concerning those who appeal to their Lord in the
morning and evening, wanting His presence; yet do not let your eyes wander too
far from them, desiring the attraction of worldly life. Do not obey anyone whose
heart We allow to neglect remembering Us, so he pursues his own whim. His case
results in dissipation. *SAY: "Truth comes from your Lord. Let anyone who wishes
to, believe, and anyone who wishes to, disbelieve."

Hell

Heaven

We have reserved a fire for wrongdoers whose sheets will hem them in. If they
should ask for some relief, then water like molten brass will be showered on
them to scorch their faces. How awful such a drink will and how evil is such a
couch! ** As for those who believe and perform honorable deeds, well We shall
not waste the earnings of anyone whose action has been kind. * Those shall have
the gardens of Eden through which rivers will flow. They will be decked out with
gold bracelets the and wear green silk clothing and brocade, as they lean back
on sofas in it.

How superb will such a recompense be and how handsome is the couch!

The Grateful and Ungrateful Farmer

(V) * Set forth a comparison between two men for them: We granted two
vineyards to one of them, and bordered them with datepalms and planted field
crops in between. * Each garden produced its food and did not fail to yield its
best; We even caused a river to spring forth in the midst of them.

Pride a Sin

* One man had fruit and told his companion while he was discussing things
with him: "I am wealthier than you are, and have a bigger following!" ** He
entered his garden while he was thus harming his own soul. He said: "I do not
think that this will ever disappear! * I do no think the Hour is at hand; if I
am ever sent back to my Lord, I shall find something better than it in
exchange."

* His companion told him while he was discussing things with him: "Have you
disbelieved in the One Who created you from dust, then from a drop of semen;
then fashioned you into a man? * However so far as we are concerned, He is God
my Lord, and I do not associate anyone with my Lord! * Why, as you entered your
garden, did you not say: "Whatever God may wish; there is no strength except
through God [Alone]? Even if you see how I am less wealthy than you are and have
fewer children, ** perhaps my Lord will still give me something better than your
garden and send a reckoning down from Heaven on it, so it will eventually become
a bald hilltop, * or its water will sink down some morning and you will never
manage to find it again."

Punishment for Disbelief and Association

* He was caught short with his fruit, and one morning he began to wring his
hands over what he had spent on it, since it had tumbled down from its
trellisses. He kept saying: "It's too bad for me; I should never have associated
anyone with my Lord!" * He had no party to support him against God, so he was
not supported. * That is how patronage lies with the True God. He is Best as a
recompense and Best in results.

Rain from Heaven

(VI) ** Set forth an example for them about worldly life being like water We
send down from the sky, The plants on the earth swell up with it; yet some
morning they will become dry weeds which the winds will blow away. God is
Competent to do everything!

* Wealth and children are an attraction during worldly life. Yet honorable
deeds that last for ever are better as a recompense from your Lord and even
better to hope for.

The Appointment on Doomsday

Some day We shall set the mountains travelling along and you will see the
earth lying exposed. We will summon them and not one of them shall We omit; * I
they will be marshalled in ranks before your Lord: "You have come to Us just as
We created you in the first place even though you claimed We would never make
any appointment for you."

The Doomsday Book

* The Book will be produced and you will see criminals apprehensive about its
contents. They will say: "It's too late for us! What does this book mean for me?
It omits nothing either small nor large unless it is accounted for." They will
find whatever they have done presented there, even though your Lord will not
harm anyone.

Diabolis and Adam

(VII) **When We told the angels: "Bow down on your knees before
Adam," they [all] knelt down except for Diabolis; he was a sprite and acted
contrary to his Lord's command. Will you (all) adopt him and his offspring as
patrons instead of Myself? They are enemies of yours! How wretched is such an
alternative for wrongdoers.

* I did not have them as witnesses at the creation of Heaven and Earth, nor
even at their own creation. I am not about to adopt those who lead [others]
astray as [My] attendants.

* Some day He will say: "Call on My associates whom you claim to have, and
appeal to them." They will not respond to them, while We shall place a chasm
between them. * Criminals will see the Fire and think they are falling into it.
They will not find any way to avert it.

Man the Quibbler

(VIII) *We have spelled out every sort of example for mankind in this
Quranyet everyman uses it just for argument in most cases. ** What has
prevented men from believing and seeking forgiveness from their Lord, once
guidance has come to them, except [they may wish] that the practice of primitive
people should come along with them, or that torment come face to face with them.
* We have sent emissaries merely as heralds and warners while those who
disbelieve idly argue away so they may refute the Truth by means of it. They
treat My signs and what they are warned of as a joke!

* Who is more in the wrong than someone who has been reminded about his
Lord's signs and then avoids them, and forgets anything his hands may have sent
on ahead? We have placed wrappings over their hearts and dullness in their ears
lest they understand it. Even if you called them to guidance, they still would
never consent to be guided.

* Your Lord is the Forgiving, the Possessor of Mercy. If He were to take them
to task for what they have earned, He would hasten torment for them; instead
they have their appointment from which they will never find any asylum. * Such
towns have We destroyed whenever they did wrong, and We fixed the time for their
destruction.

Moses' Mystic Journey

(IX)** And so Moses told his young man: "I shall not give up until I reach
the place where both seas meet, even though I spend ages doing so." * So when
they reached the place where they had met, they forgot their fish, which took
its way to the sea as if it went out through a drain.

* When they had gone still further, he told his young man: 'Bring us our
lunch; we have experienced so much strain along our journey." * He said: "Did
you see when we were resting by the rock, that I forgot the fish? Unless it was
Satan who made me forget it so I did not remember it. It took its way through
the sea like something marvellous!" * He said: "That is just what we've been
searching for."

So they retraced their steps the way they had come. ** They found one of Our
servants to whom We had given mercy from Ourself and taught him knowledge from
Our very presence. * Moses said to him: "May I follow you so you may teach me
some of the common sense you have been taught?" * He said: "You will never have
any patience with me! * How can you show any patience with something that is
beyond your experience?"

* He said: "You will findme patient, if God so wishes, I will not
disobey you in any matter." ** He said: "If you follow me, do not ask me about
anything until I tell you something to remember it by."

(X) * So they both started out until, as they boarded the ship, he bored a
hole in her. He said: "Haveyou scuttled her to drown her crew? You have
done such a weird thing!"

* He said: "Didnt I say that you would not manage to show any patience with
me?" * He said: "Do not take me to task for what I have forgotten, nor weigh me
down by making my case too difficult for me."

* They journeyed on until when they met a youth, he killed him. He said:
"Have you killed an innocent soul without any previous murder [on his part]? You
have committed such a horrible deed!"

PART SIXTEEN

Moses Jouney (cont'd)

(X cont'd) ** He said: "Did I not tell you that you would never manage to
have any patience with me?" * He said: "If I ever ask you about anything after
this, do not let me accompany you. You have found an excuse so far as I am
concerned."

* They both proceeded further till when they came to the people of a
[certain] town, they asked its inhabitants for some food, and they refused to
treat either of them hospitably. They found a wall there which was about to
tumble down, so he set it straight. He said: "If you had wished, you might have
accepted some payment for it."

* He said: "This [means] a parting between you and me. Yet I shall inform you
about the interpretation of what you had no patience for.

* "Asfor the ship, it belonged to some poor men who worked at sea. I
wanted to damage it because there was a king behind them seizing every ship by
force. ** The young man's parents were believers, and we dreaded lest he would
burden them with arrogation and disbelief. * We wanted their Lord to replace him
for them with someone better than him in purity and nearer to tenderness.

The Virtue of Patience

* "The well belonged to two orphan boys [living] in the city, and a treasure
of theirs lay underneath it. Their father had been honorable, so your Lord
wanted them to come of age and claim their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. I
did not do it of my own accord. That is the interpretation of what you showed no
patience for."

Double Horns

(XI) * They will ask you about Double Horns. SAY: "I shall render a account
of him for you."

* We established things on earth for him, and gave him access to everything;
** so he followed a [certain] course * until when he reached the place where the
sun sets, he found it setting in a mucky spring alongside which he (also) found
some people. We said: "Double Horn either you will punish [them] or else act
kindly towards them." * He said: "Anyone who has done wrong we shall punish;
then he will be sent back to his Lord, and He will punish him with horrible
torment. * Anyone who believes and acts honorably will have the finest reward
and we will tell him gently about our command."

* Then he followed [another] course ** until when he reached the place where
the sun rises, he found it rising on a folk whom We had not granted any
protection against it. * That was how We controlled information about whatever
lay before him.

* Then he followed [still another] course * until when he reached two
barriers, he found a folk on the nearer side of them who scarcely understood any
speech. * They said: "Double Horns, Gog and Magog are ravaging the earth. Shall
we pay you tribute on condition that you place a barrier between us and them?"
** He said: "Whatever my Lord has empowered me to do is even better, so help me
with some [man] power: I'll place a rampart between you and them. * Bring me
blocks of iron. When he had levelled off [the space] between both cliffs, he
said: "Blow on it!", until when he had built it up into a fire, he said: "Bring
me molten brass so I may pour some over it." ** They neither managed to climb
over nor were they able to tunnel through it. * He said: "This is a mercy from
my Lord. Whenever my Lord's promise comes, he will make it crumble. My Lord's
promise is true!"

* We will leave some of them surging over others on that day. The Trumpet
shall be blown, and We will gather them all together. *** On that day We will
spread Hell out on display for disbelievers * whose eyes have been under
blinders against [seeing] My reminder. They have not even managed to hear!

Saints' Worship Condemned

(XII)*Do those who disbelieve reckon they will adopt My
servants as patrons instead of Me? We have reserved Hell as a lodging for
disbelievers!

* SAY: "Shall We announce to you those who have lost the most through [their]
actions?" * Those whose effort led them astray during worldly life, while they
reckoned they were producing something fine, ** are the ones who have
disbelieved in their Lord's signs and about meeting Him; their actions will
prove to be useless, and We shall set up no weighing-in for them on Resurrection
Day. * Such will be their reward - Hell, because of how they have disbelieved
and taken My signs and My messengers for a laughingstock. * Those who believe
and perform honorable deeds will have the gardens of Paradise as a lodging * to
live in for ever; they will never seek any transfer from it.

The Words of the Lord

* SAY: "If the sea were an inkwell

for the words of my Lord,

the sea would be drained

before my Lord's words would be spent

even though we brought the same

again to replenish it.

** SAY: "I am only a human being like yourselves; it has been revealed to me
that your deity is God Alone. Anyone who is expecting to meet his Lord should
act honorably and not associate anyone in the worship due his Lord."

19. Mary

THESE 98 VERSES form six sections dating from the Meccan period, except for
vv. 58-71 (IV-V) which date from Madina. This chapter was revealed after
Originator 35 and before the next one which is called Ta-Ha 20. It
furnishes us with the Islamic story about Jesus' mother, as well as his speaking
as a boy from the cradle (IV-VI). It was read to the emperor of Ethiopia by the
migrants or refugees to that kingdom before the classic Hijra.

The chapter also deals with the role of Abraham and other prophets (III-IV).
Great emphasis is laid in this chapter on God's aspect as TheMercy-giving or ar-Rahman, especially by Mary. The Angels' Message
in section IV is also significant. The chapter is sustained on an assonance in
-iyya (which is interrupted between vv. 33-40 (II:end).

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * K.H.Y.E.S.

* [This is] a Reminder of your Lord's mercy towards his servant Zachariah *
when he appealed to his Lord with a suppressed cry.

* He said: "My Lord, my bones are tottering for me and my head is glistening
with white hair, while I have never been grumbling in my appeal to You, my Lord!
** Yet I fear for my heirs after me from Your presence * who may inherit from
me, and inherit from Jacob's house. Make him someone we can approve of, my
Lord!"

* "Zachariah, We bring you news about a boy whose name will be John. We have
not given such a name to anyone before." * He said: "My Lord, how will I have a
boy while my wife is barren and I have reached such extreme old age?" * He said:
"Just as your Lord has said: 'It is a trifling thing for me [to do]. I created
you before while you were still nothing!"'

** He said: "My Lord, grant me a sign!" He said: "Your sign will be that you
will not speak to any people for three nights in a row." * He came forth to his
folk from the sanctuary and revealed to them how they should glorify [God] both
morning and evening.

* "John, hold firmly to the Book." We gave him discretion as a young boy *
plus compassion from Our presence and innocence. He was conscientious * and
considerate towards his parents, and was not demanding, rebellious.

** Peace be upon him the day he was born,

and the day he will die,

and the day he is raised to life again!

Mary

(II) *Mention in the Book how Mary withdrew from her people to
an Eastem place. * She chose to be secluded from them. We sent her Our spirit,
who presented himself to her as a full-grown human being. * She said: "I take
refuge with the Mercy-giving from you, unless you are someone who does his
duty."

* He said: 'I am only your Lord's messenger to bestow a clean-living boy on
you," ** She said: "How shall I have a boy when no human being has ever touched
me, nor am I a loose woman?" * He said: "Thus your Lord has said: "It is a
simple matter for Me [to do]. We will grant him as a sign for mankind and a
mercy from Ourself." It is a matter that has been decided."

* So she conceived him, and withdrew to a remote place to have him. * Labor
pains came over her by the trunk of a datepalm. She said: "If only I had died
before this, and been forgotten, overlooked!"

* Someone called out to her from below where she was: "Dont feel so sad! Your
Lord has placed a brook at your feet. ** Shake the trunk of the datepalm towards
you so it will drop some fresh dates on you. Eat and drink, and refresh
yourself. Should you see even a single human being, then say: "I have vowed to
keep a fast to the Mercy-giving whereby I'll never speak to any person today!"'

* She carried him back to her family. They said: "Mary, you have brought
something hard to believe! * Kinswoman of Aaron, your father was no evil man,
nor was your mother a loose woman." * She pointed to him. They said: "How shall
we talk to someone who is a child in the cradle?"

Jesus Speech As a Child

** He said: "I am God's servant. He has given me the Book and made mea prophet. * He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and commissioned me
to pray and [pay] the welfare tax so long as I live; and [to act] considerate
towards my mother. He has not made me domineering, hard to get along with. *
Peace be on the day I was born, and the day I shall die and the day I am raised
to life again!"

* Such was Jesus, the son of Mary; [it is] a true statement which they are
still puzzling over. It is not God's role to adopt a son. Glory be to Him!
Whenever He determines upon some matter, He merely tells it: "Be!", and it is. *
God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him [Alone]. This is a Straight Road
[to follow].

* Factions have differed among themselves, yet how awful will it be for those
who disbelieve when it comes to the spectacle on such a dreadful day! * Listen
to them and watch for the day when they will come to Us; though wrongdoers are
in obvious error even today. * Warn them of the Day of Regret when the matter
will be decided; they act so heedless and still do not believe. ** It is We Who
will inherit the earth plus anyone on it; to Us shall they return!

Abraham

(III) *Mention Abraham in the Book. He was a truthful prophet * when
he told his father: "My father, why do you worship something that neither hears
nor perceives [anything], and does not benefit you in anyway"? * My father, I
have been given some knowledge which has not come to you, so follow me: I'll
guide you along a Level Road. * My father, do not serve Satan! Satan was defiant
towards the Mercygiving. ** My father, I fear lest some torment from the
Mercy-giving should afflict you, and you become a partisan of Satan."

* He said: "Do you dislike my gods, Abraham? If you do not stop, I'll cast
you out. Leave me alone as soon as you can!"

His Farewell

* He said: "Peace be upon you!

I'll seek forgiveness for you from my Lord;

He has been so Gracious towards me.

* I'll move away from you (all)

and from anything you appeal to

instead of God. I shall appeal to my Lord;

perhaps I'll not feel quite so miserable

with my Lord's appeal."

* When he moved away from them and what they worshipped instead of God, We
bestowed Isaac and Jacob on him. Each We made a prophet. ** We bestowed some of
Our mercy on them and granted them a sublime tongue for telling truth.

Other Prophets

(IV) * Mention Moses in the Book. He was sincere, and was a messenger, a
prophet. * We called out to him from the right side of the Mountain, and brought
him close to confide in. * We bestowed his brother Aaron on him as a prophet
through Our mercy.

* Mention Ishmael in the Book. He kept true to the Promise, and was a
messenger, a prophet. ** He used to order his people to pray and [pay] the
welfare tax; he was approved by his Lord.

* Mention Idifs in the Book. He was a truthful prophet; * We raised him to a
lofty place.

BOW DOWN HERE

* Those are some of the prophets from Adam's offspring whom God has favored,
and some of those We transported along with Noah, and some of Abraham's and
Ishmael's offspring, as well as some (others) We have guided and chosen.
Whenever the Mercy-giving's signs are recited to them, they drop down on
their knees and weep!

The Garden

* Descendants have replaced them who neglected prayer and followed [their
own] passions. They shall meet with aimlessness ** except for anyone who turns
around (in repentance) and believes, and acts honorably; those will enter the
Garden and not be harmed in any way- * -the gardens of Eden which the
Mercy-giving has promised His servants even though [they are still] Unseen. So
far as He is concerned, His promise has already been fulfilled. They will hear
no nonsense in it, only: "Peace!" (as a greeting); they will have their
provision there both morning and evening. * Such is the Garden which We bequeath
to those of Our servants who have been pious.

The Angels' Message: God's Vastness

* We never descend except at your Lord's command. He owns whatever is in
front of us and whatever is behind us, and whatever lies in between. Your Lord
is not forgetful, ** [for He is] the Lord of Heaven and Earth and whatever lies
in between them! So serve Him and persevere in His worship. Do you know of any
other title for Him?"

Hell

(V) * Everyman says: "When I die will I be brought forth alive [again]?" *
Does man not recall that We already created him once when he was nothing? * By
your Lord, We shall summon both them and the devils; then We shall parade them
forth to crouch around Hell! * Next We shall drag those away from every sect who
have been the most insolent towards the Mercy-giving. ** Thus We are quite Aware
as to who are the closest to roasting in it; * there is not one of you but he
will be led up to it. That is a decree determined by your Lord. * Then We shall
save those who have heeded and leave the wrongdoers crouching inside.

* Whenever Our clear signs are recited to them, those who disbelieve say to
those who believe: 'Which group is better in status and a finer club to join?" *
How many generations have We wiped out before them who were even finer in
equipment and appearance!

** SAY: "May the Mercy-giving extend an opportunity to anyone who has been in
error so that when they see what they are threatened with, whether it is torment
or even the Hour, they will know who is in a worse plight and has the weakest
following.

* God increases guidance for those who have consented to be guide while
honorable deeds that endure are best with your Lord as recompense and yield the
best returns.

False Gods are Futile

* Have you seen someone who disowns Our signs and says: "I shall still be
given wealth and children? * Has he probed the Unseen or made a pled with the
Mercy-giving? * Not at all! We shall write down anything he says and extend a
chance of torment to him; ** We will inherit anything he says, and he will come
to Us as an individual. * They have adopted other deities instead of God, so
they will mean [more] influence for them. *Not at all! The [false gods] will
reject their own worship and pit themselves against them.

(VI) *Have you not seen how We send devils to disbelievers, to
provoke them to fury? * So do not act hasty towards them; We are only counting
out so much [time] for them. ** Some day We shall summon the heedful in a
delegation before the Mercy-giving, * and drive criminals in a drove towards
Hell. * They will possess no power of intercession except for someone who has
already accepted a pledge from the Mercy-giving.

God Needs No Son

* They say: "The Mercy-giving has adopted a son!" * You have brought up
something monstrous! ** "Me heavens almost burst apart from it, while the earth
splits open and the mountains fall down with a crash * that anyone should
ascribe a son to the Mercy-giving! * It is not proper for the Mercy-giving to
adopt a son.

* Everyone who is in Heaven and Earth comes to the Mercy-giving merely as a
servant; * He numbers them and counts them up. ** Each of them is coming to Him
on Resurrection Day as an individual. * The Mercy-giving will grant affection to
those who believe and perform honorable deeds.

* We have made it easy for your tongue

so you may announce good news about it

to those who do their duty,

and warn headstrong folk by means of it.

* How many generations have We wiped out before them? Do you find any trace
of even one of them, or hear a murmur from them?

20. TA-HA (or T.H.)

THIS CHAPTER of eight sections is made up of 135 Meccan
verses although w. 130 and 131 (in VIII) are Madinese. It was revealed after the
previous one on Mary 19 and before The Inevitable 56. The title
comes from its opening letters, which are now used as a man's name, as in the
case of the similar title Ya-Sin 36.

It begins with the story of Moses (I-II),narrated in a conversational
style, full of vivid word pictures. The initial rhyme and rhythm are very
soothing. Then we are told how to read the Quran and about Adam's fall (VI);
while the chapter ends with a section on prayer (VIII).Its sections are
long and the message comes in a very narrative style, which provides relief for
the Prophet's troubles in his native city. Some have called it the best of the
Meccan chapters.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * T. H.

* We have not sent the Quran down to you in order to upset you, * but only as
a Reminder for someone who acts cautiously; * [it is] a revelation from the One
Who created the earth and the highest heavens, ** the Mercy-giving [Who is]
settled on the Throne. He owns whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth,
as well as whatever lies in between them, and what lies underneath the sod.

* No matter whether you speak out loud, He still knows your secrets
and what is even more suppressed.* God, there is no deity except
Him!His are the Finest Names!

Moses' Story

* Has Moses' story ever reached you? ** Once he saw a fire and told his
family: "Wait here; I have glimpsed a fire. Maybe I can bring you a coal from
it, or find some guidance at the fire."

Disbelievers' Victims

* As he came up to it, [a voice] called out: "Moses, * I am your Lord! Take
off your sandals; you are in the sacred valley of Tuwa. * I have chosen you, so
listen to whatever is revealed: * I am God [Alone]! There is no deity except
Myself, so serve Me and keep up prayer to remember Me by. ** The Hour is coming!
I am keeping it hidden so that each soul may be rewarded for whatever it
accomplishes. * So do not let anyone who does not believe in it and follows his
own passion, bar you from it so that you may perish!

* "What do you have in your right hand, Moses?" * He said: "Itis my
staff. I lean on it, and beat down fodder for my sheep and goats with it; and I
have still other uses for it." * He said: "Toss it down, Moses."

** So he threw it down, and just imagine, it became a snake that
crawled along! * He said: "Pick it up, and do not be afraid. We shall return it
to its original shape. * And stick your hand under your armpit: it will come out
white without [showing] any blemish, as another sign * so that We may show you
some of Our greatest signs! * Go to Pharaoh; he has been so arrogant."

Moses' Prayer

(II) **He said:

"My Lord, ease my breast for me! * Make my affair easier for me,* and
loose a knot from my tongue* so they may understand whatever I say.*
Grant me a helpmate from my own people,** Aaron, my brother.

* "Back me up by means of him * and let him share in my affair * so
that we may glorify You frequently * and mention You often, ** since You
have been Observant of us."

* He said: "You have been granted your request, Moses. * We endowed you
another time * when We revealed whatever was revealed to your mother: * "Cast
him into the chest, and toss it into the river. The current will throw him up on
the shore where an enemy of Mine as well as an enemy of his will pick him up."

"I have lavished love of My own on you so that you might be made into My
darling. ** So your sister was walking along, and said: "Shall I lead you to
someone who will take care of him?' Thus We returned you to your mother to
comfort her and so she would not feel so sad.

"You killed a soul and We saved you from grief. We tested you severely, and
you stayed among the people of Midian for years. Then you came just as fate
[decreed], Moses. * I have produced you for Myself. * Take My signs away, both
you and your brother, and do not neglect to mention Me. * Go to Pharaoh; he has
been so arrogant. * Speak a soft word to him so that he may be reminded or even
feel afraid."

The Greeting to non-Muslims

** They both said: "Our Lord, we fear lest he crack down on us or that he
should act arrogant." * He said: "Do not fear; I am with you both. I both hear
and see. * Go to him and say: "We are both messengers from your Lord. Send the
Children of Israel away with us and do not torment them. We have brought you a
sign from your Lord, and may "Peace be upon whoever follows guidance."
* As for us, it has been revealed to us that torment is due anyone who says
it is a lie and turns away!'"

* He said; "Who is Lord for both of you, Moses?" ** He said: "Our Lord is the
One Who has given everything its own constitution; then guided it." * He said:
"Sowhat was the attitude during earlier centuries?" * He said:
"Knowledge concerning them rests in a Book with my Lord. My Lord neither misses
anything, nor does He forget, * [since he is the One] Who has laid out the earth
as a carpet for you and has traced highways on it for you, and sent down water
from the sky, We have brought forth every sort of plant with it, of various
types. * Eat and pasture your livestock [on it]; in that are signs for men of
accomplishment.

A Burial Prayer

(III) ** "From it We have created youand We will return you to
it,and from it shall We bring you forthfor another
chance."

* Yet We showed him all Our signs, and he said they were ties and rejected
them! * He said: "Have you come to us to turn us out of our land through your
magic, Moses? * We will bring magic to match it, so make an appointment between
us and you in some convenient place which neither we nor you will break." * He
said: "Your appointment will be on Decoration Day so that people may be summoned
early in the morning."

** So Pharaoh turned away and put his plan together; then he came [back]. *
Moses told them: "Watch out for yourselves! Dont invent any lie about God lest
He blot you out through torment. Anyone who invents things will be
disappointed." * They debated their case among themselves and kept the
discussion secret. * They said: "These are both magicians who want to expel you
from your land by means of their magic, and do away with your exemplary ways. *
Get together for your scheme; then come all lined up. Whoever comes out on top
today will prosper!"

The Tournament of Magic

** They said: "Moses, either you will cast [something] or shall we be the
first to cast [a spell]?" He said: "Rather you throw [first]."

You should have seen their ropes and rods! It appeared to him as if they were
moving around because of their magic, * so Moses conceived a fear within
himself. * We said: "Do not act afraid: you will come out on top! * Throw down
what is in your right hand so it will swallow up anything they have produced.
What they have produced is only some magician's trick, and no magician succeeds
no matter where he goes."

** So the magicians threw themselves down on their knees. They said: "We
believe in the Lord of Aaron and Moses." * He said: "Have you believed in Him
before I permit you to? He must be your chief who has taught you magic! I'll cut
your hands and feet off on opposite sides, and have you crucified on the trunks
of datepalms, so you may know which of us is harsher with torment and going to
last longer."

* They said: "We will never choose you before explanations have come to us
nor ahead of the One Who originated us. Decide anything you may decide; you are
no judge: You will only decide during this worldly life. * We believe in our
Lord, so He may forgive us our mistakes as well as for any magic you have
compelled us to perform. God is Better and more Enduring."

Hell and Heaven as Rewards

* Anyone who comes to his Lord as a criminal will have HELL [as his reward];
he will neither die in it, nor yet will he live [a decentlife]. ** Whoever comes to Him as a believer has performed honorable
deeds; those will have the highest ranks, * the gardens of Eden through which
rivers flow, to live in for ever. That will be the reward for anyone who becomes
purified.

(IV) * We inspired Moses [as follows]: "Travel with My servants at night and
open up a dry road through the sea for them. Do not fear being overtaken nor
dread anything." * Pharaoh had them pursued by his troops, and the flood
overwhelmed them as only it could overwhelm them. * Pharaoh led his folk astray
and did not guide [them].

** Children of Israel, We saved you from your enemy and made an appointment
for you on the right side of the Mountain, and sent down manna and quail for
you. * "Eat some of the wholesome things We have provided you with and do not
act arrogantly while doing so, lest My anger light upon you; anyone My anger
lights upon will surely collapse. * Yet I am quite Forgiving towards anyone who
turns (in repentance) and believes, and acts honorably; then he will be guided."

* "Whatever made you hurry away from your people, Moses?" * He said: "They
were close upon my tracks, while I have hastened to You, my Lord, so You may
feel pleased." ** He said: "We have tested your folk in your absence and the
Samaritan has led them astray."

* Moses returned to his people angry, sorrowful. He said: "My folk, did your
Lord not make you a handsome promise? Did the agreement seem too long in
reaching you, or did you want anger from your Lord to settle upon you, so that
you broke the appointment to meet Me?" * They said: "We did not break your
appointment of our own accord, but we had to carry loads of the people's
ornaments and toss them [into a furnace]. That is what the Samaritan suggested."
* He produced a calf for them in the shape of a body that mooed. They said:
"This is your god, the god of Moses; he has forgotten [it]."

* Did they not consider it would not talk back to them, nor control any harm
or advantage for them?

(V) ** Now Aaron had already told them: "My people, you are only being tested
by means of it. Your Lord is the Mercy-giving, so follow me and obey my
command!" * They said: "We will never quit being devoted to it until Moses
returns to us."

* He said: "Aaron, what prevented you, when you saw they had strayed * from
having them follow me? Did you disobey my order?" * He said: "My (blood)
brother, do not seize me by my beard nor by my head! I dreaded you would say:
'You have brought dissension to the Children of Israel and did not observe what
I said."'

** He said: "What have you been trying to do, 0 Samaritan?" * He said: "I
noticed something they do not notice, so I snatched a handful from the
messenger's footprints and flung it away. Thus my soul has lured me on."

The Samaritan Untouchable

* He said: "Go away! During your lifetime you will say: 'Donttouch
[me]!' You have an appointment [for your torment] which will not be broken. Look
at your god which you have become so devoted to: we shall burn it up, then
scatter its remains in the flood."

* Your God is God [Alone]; there is no other deity than Him! He is
Vasterthan everything in knowledge.

* Thus We relate some news to you about what has occurred previously; We have
even brought you a Reminder from Our very presence. *** Anyone who evades it
will bear a burden on Resurrection Day * which he will remain with. Evil will be
such a load for them on Resurrection Day, * the day when the Trumpet shall be
blown. We shall summon bleary-eyed criminals on that day. * They will mutter to
one another: "Did you only stay away ten [days]?" * We are quite Aware of what
they will say when the best behaved among them will say,. "You have only stayed
away a day!"

Resurrection Day

(VI) ** They will ask you about the mountains, SO SAY: "My Lord will crumble
them into powder * and leave them as flat as a prairie. * You will see no rough
spots nor any unevenness on them. * On that day they will follow the Crier who
has no crookedness in him either; their voices will be hushed before the
Mercy-giving and you will hear only [people] shuffling past.

* On that day intercession will only benefit someone whom the Mercygiving has
permitted to enjoy it, and whose statement has pleased Him. ** He knows what
lies in front of them and what is behind them, while they do not embrace any
knowledge about Him. * Faces will seem downcast before the Living, the Eternal,
and anyone who carries a load of harm will have blundered, * while anyone who
has performed honorable deeds and is a believer will need fear no harm nor any
injustice.

* Thus We have sent it down as an Arabic reading and set forth some of the
Threat in it so that they may do their duty, or so it will arouse them to
remember. * Exalted is God, the True Controller!

How to Read the Quran

Do not hurry while reading [the Quran] before its revelation has been
accomplished for you, and [rather] SAY: "My Lord, increase me inknowledge!"

Adam's Fall

** We had already made a pledge with Adam which he forgot. We found he had no
determination.

(VII) *When We told the angels: "Bow down on your knees before Adam,"
they [all] knelt down except for Diabolis; he refused [to do so]. * We said:
"Adam, this is an enemy for both you and your wife. Do not let him turn either
of you out of the Garden, so you will regret it. * You have so much in it that
you need go neither hungry nor naked; * you will neither thirst there nor fell
sunstruck."

** Satan whispered to him; he said: "Adam, shall I lead you to the
Tree of Immortality and such control as will never disappear?" * So they both
ate some of it, and their private parts became apparent to them. They set to
patching themselves over with leaves from the Garden. Adam had disobeyed his
Lord and was misled!

* Later on his Lord chose him, and He relented towards him and guided [him].
* He said: "Clear out of here, both of you together! Some of you [will become]
enemies of others. Should guidance ever come to you from Me, no one who follows
My guidance shall ever stray away nor regret it; * while anyone who fails to
remember Me will have a meager living and We shall summon him as a blind person
on Resurrection Day. ** He will say: "My Lord, why have you summoned me as a
blind person when was I sighted?" * He will say: "Thus did Our signs come to
you, and you forgot them; that is why you have been forgotten today."'

* Thus We reward anyone who overdoes things and does not believe in his
Lord's signs. Torment in the Hereafter will be even more severe and everlasting.
* Did it not guide them [to see] how many generations We had wiped out before
them whose dwellings they walk around in? In that are signs for persons who are
wary.

(VIII) *If word had not already gone ahead from your Lord, it would
have been made compulsory and a deadline set.

Times for Prayer

** So be patient about anything they may say and hymn your Lord's praise
before the sun's rise and before its setting, and in the small hours of the
night. Hymn it as well at the ends of the day so that you may meet approval.

* Do not strain your eyes towards what We let some types of them enjoy, the
blossoming of worldly life, so We may test them by means of it. Your Lord's
provision is better and more lasting.

Family Worship

* Order your household to pray and to discipline themselves by means of it.
We do not ask you for any provision; yet We will provide for you, and the
outcome rests on doing your duty.

* They say: "If he would only bring us some sign from his Lord!" Has not
evidence already reached them about what was in the early scriptures? * If We
were to wipe them out ahead of time with torment, they would say: "Our Lord, if
You had only sent us a messenger, we would have followed Your signs before we
were humbled and disgraced." ** SAY: "Everyone lives in expectation, so be on
the lookout! You will know who are [your] companions along the Level Road and
who has been guided.

PART SEVENTEEN

21. Prophets

THIS CHAPTER of 112 Meccan verses arranged in seven sections was revealed
after the one on Abraham 14 and before Believers 23 and [Soul-]
Snatchers 79. It is full of important philosophy beginning in Section
IIwhich deals with the essential Oneness of God. We are also told that
the God of everyman allows for no intercession (II).

The next theme concerns a prophet's gifts, and it states that Muhammad was a
messenger rather than a poet (IV). We learn how Abraham dealt with images or
idols (V), while the roles of David and Solomon are also discussed (VI), a
section that is somewhat parallel to 38:III-IV. The theme becomes inspiring in
the face of the Prophet's trials, and at the end it becomes almost apocalyptic.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) *Men turn aside through indifference even though their reckoning
approaches. * No fresh reminder ever comes to them from their Lord except they
listen to it as they play away, * their hearts distracted. Those who do wrong
consult together privately; "Isnt this [man] just a human being like yourselves?
Will you succomb to magic while you can see it happening?"

* SAY: "My Lord knows whatever is spoken in Heaven and Earth; He is Alert,
Aware." ** "Rather", they say, "it's a jumble of dreams! In fact, he has made it
all up! Indeed, he's a poet. Let him bring us a sign such as the first men were
sent with."

* No town that ever believed before have We wiped out. Will they believe? *
Before you We have sent only men whom We inspired. Ask people with [long]
memories if you do not know it already. * We did not grant them bodies which did
not eat food, nor were they immortal. * Then We confirmed the Promise for them,
and saved them as well as anyone We wished to, and wiped out those who were
dissipated. ** We have sent down a Book to you which contains your Reminder.
Will you not use your reason?

(II) *How many a town which had been doing wrong did We demolish, and
raise up other folk in its stead? * When they felt Our might [approaching], they
rushed headlong away from it!

* Do not rush away; return to what you were luxuriating in and your
dwellings, so that you may be questioned. * They say: "Alas for us! We have been
doing wrong." ** Such an appeal as theirs will never cease until We leave them
withered away like a crop in need of harvesting. * We did not create Heaven and
Earth and whatever lies in between them while just playing around.

Creation is Serious

* If We had wanted to adopt it as a pastime, We would have adopted it within
Our very presence, had We ever done so. * Rather We hurlTruth against
falsehood, so it knocks it down. Then it disappears. You are the ones
[who need] to worry because of what you are describing.

The God of Everyone

* He owns whoever is in Heaven and Earth. Anyone who is with Him is never too
proud to do Him service, nor are they even wearied;** they celebrate [Him]
night and day; they never pause. * Or have they taken gods from earth who will
raise the dead?

God's Transcendence

* If there were other gods in either [Heaven or Earth]
besides God [Alone],they would both dissolve in
chaos.

Glory be to God, Lord of the Throne, beyond what they
describe! * He will not be questioned about what He does, while they
shall be so questioned.

* Yet do they still adopt other gods instead of Him? SAY: "Bring on your
proof! This is a Reminder for anyone who is with me, as well as a Reminder for
whoever came before me." Instead, most of them do not recognize the Truth, so
they avoid it.

** We did not send any messenger before you unless Weinspired him
with the fact there is no deity except Me, so serve Me!

Intercession

* They say: "The Mercy-giving has adopted a son." Glory be to Him! Rather
they are honored servants; * they do not try to speak ahead of Him, while they
act at His command. * He knows what lies in front of them and what is behind
them; while they do not intercede except for someone who has been approved. They
are apprehensive and hence in awe of Him. * Should any of them say: "I am a god
as well as He," that person We shall reward with Hell. Thus We reward
wrongdoers!

Creation

(III)**Have not those who disbelieve seen how Heaven and Earth were
once one solid mass which We ripped apart? We have made every living thing out
of water. Will they still not believe? * We have placed headlands on earth lest
it should sway while they are on it, and have placed mountain passes on it as
highways so they may be guided. * We have placed the sky as a roof which is held
up even though they shun its signs! * He is the One Who has created night and
daylight, and the sun and the moon; each floats along in an orbit.

Immortality; Death

* We have not granted immortality to any human being before you; so if you
should die, will they become immortal?

** Every soul shall taste death. We will test you (all) with something
bad and something good as a trial; then to Us will you be returned!

* Whenever those who disbelieve see you, they never accept you unless it is
to ridicule you: "Is this the person who mentions your gods?", while they disown
any mention of the Mercy-giving!

* Man has been created from impatience. I will show you My signs so
do not try to hurry Me up.

* They say: "When will this promise be, if you are (all) so truthful?" * If
those who disbelieve only knew about the time when they will not fend the Fire
off from their faces nor from their backs, nor will they be supported. ** Rather
it will come upon them suddenly and dumbfound them; they will not manage tocast it off nor will they be allowed to wait. * Messengers have been
ridiculed before you, till whatever they were sneering at swept in around those
who had been ridiculing them."

(IV) * SAY: "Who shields you night and day from the Mercy-giving?." Indeed
they are evasive about mentioning their Lord! * Or do they have gods who can
defend them from Us? They can neither assist themselves nor yet are they
accompanied by Us. * Rather We have let such persons and their forefathers enjoy
themselves until life seems to last too long for them. Do they not see how We
come to the earth to clip it off along its borders? Will they turn out to be the
winners?

** SAY: "I am warning you only through inspiration." The deaf will not hear
the Appeal even when they are warned [directly]; * if a breath from your Lord's
torment should ever touch them, they would say: "It's too bad for us! We have
been doing wrong." * We shall set up scales for justice on Resurrection Day, and
no soul will be dealt with unjustly in any way. Even if the weight of a mustard
seed should exist, We would bring it along; sufficient are We as Reckoners!

A Prophet's Gifts

* We brought Moses and Aaron the Standard and radiance, plus a Reminder for
the heedful, * [all those] who dread their Lord even though [He is] Unseen. They
are (also) anxious about the Hour. ** This is a blessed Reminder We have sent
down; so why are you (all) so distrustful concerning it?

Abraham and Idols

(V) * We gave Abraham his integrity long ago, and We were (fully) Conscious
of him * when he told his father and his folk: "What are these images which you
are so devoted to?" * They said: "We found our forefathers serving them." * He
said: "You and your forefathers have been in such obvious error."

** They said: "Have you brought us the Truth, or are you just a trifler?" *
He said: "Rather your Lord is the Lord of Heaven and Earth, and the One Who
originated them, while I am another witness for that. * By God, I am planning to
confound your idols once you have turned your backs!"

* So he broke them into fragments except for the biggest one of them, so that
they might return to [question] it. * They said: "Who did this to our gods? He
must be some wrongdoer!" ** They said: "We heard a young man mentioning them; he
is called Abraham." * They said: "Bring him before the people's eyes so they may
witness it."

* They said: "Is it you who has done this to our gods, Abraham?" He said:
"Rather this biggest one of them did it. Ask them, if they are able to speak
up."

* They turned to one another and said: "You yourselves are the wrongdoers!"
** Then they hung their heads: "You knew those things do not utter [a word]." *
He said: "So do you worship something instead of God that neither benefits you
in any way nor does it harm you? * Shame on you and on whatever you worship
instead of God [Alone]! Dont you use your reason?" * They said: "Burn him up and
support your gods if you must be doing something!"

* We said: "Fire, be cool, and safe for Abraham!" ** They wanted to outwit
him, so We made them lose the most. * We rescued him and Lot, [bringing them] to
a land which We had blessed for [everyone in] the Universe. * We bestowed Isaac
and (then) Jacob on him as an additional boon; each We made into honorable men.
* We made them leaders who guided (others) by Our command and We inspired them
to perform good deeds, keep up prayer, and pay the welfare tax. They have been
serving Us.

* And Lot We gave discretion and knowledge, and saved him from the town which
had been performing wicked deeds. They had been such evil folk, perverts. ** We
admitted him into Our mercy; he was such an honorable man!

Noah

(VI) *When Noah had cried out previously, We responded to him, and
saved him and his family from serious distress. * We delivered him from a folk
who had rejected Our signs. They had been such evil folk that We drowned them
all.

David and Solomon

* And when David and Solomon both passed judgment on the field where some
people's sheep had strayed to pasture there at night, We acted as Witnesses for
their decision. * We made Solomon understand it. Each We gave discretion and
knowledge, and We let David develop the mountains and the birds which celebrate
[Us]. We were Active [in this]. ** We taught him how to manufacture coats [of
mail] for you, to protect you from your own violence. Yet are you ever grateful?

* Solomon had wind as a storm which blew at his command over the earth which
We had blessed. We were Conscious of everything. * Some devils there were who
dived for him and performed other work besides that. We acted as Guardians over
them.

* And Job, when he cried out to his Lord: "Adversity has afflicted me
while You are the most Merciful of the Mercy-granting!", * We responded
to him and removed any adversity he was facing, and We gave him his household
and the same as them besides, as a Mercy from Our presence and a Reminder for
worshippers.

Other Prophets

** And Ishmael, Idris and [Ezekiel] with the Commission-were all patient. *
We admitted them to Our mercy; they were honorable. * And the Man in the Whale
when he stormed off angrily, and thought We would never have any power over him;
yet he cried out in the darkness: "There is no deity except You! Glory be to
You! I have been a wrongdoer." * We responded to him and saved him from grief.
Thus We save believers. * And Zachariah when he cried out to his Lord: "My Lord,
do not leave me childless, even though You are the Best of heirs." ** We
responded to him and bestowed John on him, and restored his wife [to
childbearing] for him. They had always competed in doing good deeds and appealed
to Us eagerly yet reverently. They were so humble towards Us.

Mary

* And she who guarded her chastity, so We breathed some of Our
spirit into her, and set both her and her son up as a sign for [everyone in] the
Universe.

* This community of yours [forms] one nation, while I am your Lord, so
worship Me. * They have carved up their own affair among themselves; yet
everyone will be returning to Us.

The Final Promise

(VII) *Anyone who performs some honorable deeds while he is a
believer will never have his effort spurned. We will be Writing it down for him.
** Yet a ban has been placed on any town We have wiped out; theyshall not return * until when things are opened up for Gog and Magog and
they come swarming down from every hillside * and the true Promise is
approaching: then behold it will be staring into the eyes of those who have
disbelieved: 'Alas for us! We have been so heedless concerning this. Indeed we
were wrongdoers."

False Gods

* You and anything you worship instead of God [will serve as] pavement for
Hell! You are being led to it; * if those had been gods, they would not have
been led there; yet everyone will remain in it for ever. *** They will [find
people] moaning in it while they will not [be able to] hear in it.

* Those whose finest deeds have preceded them will be sent far away from it
by Us; they will not hear it even as a rustle while they will live for ever in
what they themselves have been longing for. * The greatest dismay will not
sadden them while angels will welcome them with: "This is your Daywhich
you have been promised!"

* [It will be] a day when We shall roll up the sky just as a scroll for books
is rolled up; just as We began with the first creation, so We shall do it all
over again as a promise binding on Us which We have been Acting on. ** We have
written in the Psalms following the Reminder; "My honorable servants shall
inherit the earth." * In this is a proclamation for folk who are worshipful.

* We have merely sent you as a mercyfor [everybody in] the
Universe.

* SAY: "It has only been revealed to me that your god is God Alone. Are you
committed to (live in] peace?" * If they should turn away, then SAY: "I have
announced it to you all alike. If I only knew whether what you are promised is
near or far away!" ** He knows anything one says out loud and He (also) knows
whatever you conceal. * If I only knew whether it may mean a trial for you as
well as enjoyment for a while."

* He said: "My Lord, judge with Truth," and "Our Lord is the Mercygiving
Whose help is sought against what you describe."

22. Pilgrimage

THIS CHAPTER of ten sections contains 78 verses from Madina, except for vv.
52-55 (in section VII),which were revealed on the road between Mecca and
Madina during the Prophet's Hijra or Transfer to the latter city in the
year 622 A.D. It comes after Light 24 in the order of revelation, and
before Hypocrites 63.

The first section contains a beautiful description of how each individual is
created. It then proceeds to the matter of the Pilgrimage, the sin of
association, and polytheism (IV). Self-defence is permitted Muslims (VI), and
the matter of retaliation is discussed (VIII). The chapter ends with the parable
of "The Fly" (X) and an impassioned plea for sincere worship.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) *0 mankind, heed your Lord! The quaking at the Hour will be a serious
matter. * On the day when you see it, every nursing mother will neglect whatever
she is nursing and every pregnant female will miscarry. You will see men drunk
while they have not been drinking. However God's torment is severe!

* Some men argue about God without having any knowledge, and they follow
every wilful Satan. * It has been written down concerning anyone he befriends
that he shall mislead him and guide him to the torment of the Blaze.

Man's Creation

** 0 men, if you have ever been in doubt about rising again, well We
(first)created you from dust; then from a drop of semen; then from a
clot; then from a lump of tissue either shaped or else shapeless, so We might
explain [things] to you. We cause anything We wish to rest in wombs for a stated
period; then We bring you forth as infants; eventually you reach full growth.
Some of you will pass away [early in life], while others of you will be sent
back to the feeblest age of all, so that he will not know a thing after once
having had knowledge.

You see the barren earth when We send water down upon it, stirring, sprouting
and producing every sort of lovely species. * That [comes about] because God is
the Truth: He revives the dead and is Capable of everything!

* The Hour is coming, there is no doubt about it. God will raise up whoever
are in [their] graves. * Yet some men argue about God without having any
knowledge or guidance, nor any enlightening Book, * twisting things around in
order to lead [others] astray from God's way. Such a man will have disgrace in
this world while We shall let him taste the torment of burning on Resurrection
Day. ** "That is because of what your hands have sent on ahead." Yet God is no
One to harm [His] worshippers.

(II)*Some men serve God along the fringes: if some good should happen
to him, he accepts it calmly, while if some trial should strike him, he turns
over on his face [in despair]. He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That
is such an obvious loss! * He appeals to something that neither harms him nor
yet benefits him, instead of to God. That is extreme error; he appeals to
someone whose harm is closer than his benefit. How wretched is such a patron;
how wretched is such a colleague!

* God will show those who believe and perform honorable deeds into gardens
through which rivers flow; God does anything He wants.

** Let anyone who has been thinking that God will never support him in this
world as well as in the Hereafter, [try to] stretch a tent-rope up to the sky;
then cut it off. Let him see whether his scheme will take away whatever is
irritating him.

* Thus We have sent it down as clear signs. God guides anyone He wants to.

BOW DOWN HERE

* God will sort out those who believe, as well as those who have become Jews,
Sabeans, Christians, Magians, from those who associate [others with Him], on
Resurrection Day. God is a Witness for everything. * Have you not seen how
whoever is in Heaven and whoever is on earth drops down on his knees
before God, as well as the sun, moon and stars, the mountains, trees and
animals, and many people, even some [of those] deserving torment? Anyone whom
God weakens will have no one to honor him. God does anything He wishes.

* Both [sets of] these opponents debate about their Lord. Those who
disbelieve will have garments tailored out of fire for them; over their heads
scalding water will be poured. Anything in their stomachs as well as their skins
will be melted by it. They will have iron goads: * every time they may want to
leave because of [their] gloom, they will be sent back to it: "Taste the torment
of burning!"

(III)*God will show those who believe and perform honorable deeds
into gardens through which rivers flow; there they will be decked out with gold
and pearl bracelets while their clothing will be [made of] silk. * They have
been guided to a wholesome way of talking as well as guided along the
Praiseworthy's road.

** Those who disbelieve and obstruct God's way and (block) the Hallowed
Mosque which We have granted to mankind on the same footing-whether the one
devoted to it[s care] or the nomad-yet We shall let anyone who wants to misuse
it wrongfully, taste some painful torment.

(IV)* Thus We settled Abraham at the site of the House [saying]:

The Pilgrimage Proclaimed

"Do not associate anything with Me,

"and purify My house for those who walk around it, and those who stand there
[praying], and those who bow down on their knees in worship.

* "Proclaim the Pilgrimage among mankind: they will come to you on
foot and on every lean [beast of burden];

"let them come from every deep ravine, * to bear witness to the advantages
they have, and to mention God's name on appointed days over such heads of
livestock as He has provided them with.

"So eat some of it and feed the needy pauper. * Then let them attend to their
grooming, fulfil their vows, and circle round the Ancient House."

Association and Idolatry (OR Polytheism)

** That is [how it should be], and it will be best with one's Lord for anyone
who emphasizes God's restrictions. You are permitted livestock except for those
which have been listed for you. Avoid the filth of idols and refrain from
deceptive speech, * seeking righteously after God, nor associating anything with
Him. Anyone who associates anything with God [will feel] as if he had fallen out
of the sky and the birds had snatched him away, or the wind had blown him to
some faroff place.

* That is [how it is]. Anyone who emphasizes God's ceremonies should do so
from heartfelt heeding; * you have advantages in them for a fixed period, then
their place shall be at the Ancient House.

(V) * To every nation We have granted ritual so they may mention God's name
over any heads of livestock He has provided them with. Your God is God Alone, so
commit yourself to Him peacefully and proclaim goodnews to the meek, **
whose hearts tremble whenever God is mentioned and are patient with anything
that may happen to them, and those who keep up prayer and spend something out of
whatever We have provided them with.

* Animals' bodies [to be sacrificed] We have granted to you as some of God's
symbols. They contain good for you, so mention God's name over them as they are
lined up [for slaughter]. Once they slump down on their sides, then eat some of
them and feed both the [poor man who is] carefree and the one who insists on it.
Thus We have subjected them to you so that you may bethankful.

The True Meaning of Sacrifice

* Neither their meatnor their blood ever reaches God,but
heedfulness on your part does reach Him.

Thus He has subjected them to you, so that you may magnify God because He has
guided you, and proclaim good news to those who act kindly. * God defends those
who believe; God does not love every thankless traitor.

Self Defence

(VI) *Those who have been wronged are permitted to fight[back]-since God is Able tosupport them- ** any who have been driven
from their homes unjustly, merely because they say: "Our Lord is God [Alone]."
If it were not because God repels some men by means of others, cloisters,
churches, synagogues and mosques where God's name is mentioned frequently would
have been demolished.

Destiny

God supports anyone who supports Him-God is Strong, Powerful - those who, if
We established them in the land, would keep up prayer and pay the welfare tax,
command what is proper and forbid debauchery. God holds the destiny of things! *
If they should reject you, well Noah's folk and cad's and Thamud's (all)
rejected [messengers] before them, * and [so did] Abraham's folk and Lot's folk,
* -and the inhabitants of Midian; even Moses was rejected!

I put up with disbelievers; then I seize them, and how [awful] is My
repudiation! ** How many towns have We wiped out while they were doing wrong?.
Their rafters have fallen in, their wells have been abandoned, and [many an]
impressive palace as well, * Have they not travelled around the earth so they
may acquire hearts to reason with or ears to listen with? It is not their
eyesight which is blind, but their hearts in their breasts which are blind. *
They try to make you hurry up the torment! God will never go back on His
promise; a day with your Lord is like a thousand years such as those you count
by. * How many towns have I put up with while they were doing wrong! Then I have
seized them, and towards Me lay the Goal!

(VII) * SAY:"Mankind, I am merely a clear warner for you ** and for
those who believe and perform honorable deeds; they shall have forgiveness and
generous provision, * while those who work against Our signs in order to
frustrate them, will become the inmates of Hades."

* We have never sent any messenger nor any prophet before you unless Satan
interfered with his desire even while he desired something. God cancel will out
whatever Satan tampers with; then God will decide on His signs. God is Aware,
Wise, * so He may set up anything Satan has proposed as a trial for those whose
hearts contain malice and whose hearts are hardened-wrongdoers are in such
extreme dissension- * and so those who have been given knowledge should know
that it means Truth from your Lord and they may believe in it, and their hearts
yield to it. God acts as a Guide towards a Straight Road for those who believe.

** Those who disbelieve will remain in a quandary concerning it until the
Hour comes upon them suddenly or the torment of a desolate day reaches them. *
Control will belong to God on that day; He will judge between them, and those
who believe and perform honorable deeds will be in the gardens of Bliss. * Those
who disbelieve and deny Our signs will have humiliating torment.

(VIII) * God will provide handsomely for those who migrate for God's sake,
then are killed or die. God is the Best Provider! * He will show them through an
entrance they will be pleased with. God is so Aware, Lenient.

Retaliation

** Such will it be. God will support anyone who retaliates insofar as he
has suffered, then is set upon again; for God is Pardoning, Forgiving.

* That is becauseGod merges night into daylightand merges daylight
into night. God is Alert, Observant.

* That is because God is Truth,
while anything they appeal to instead of Him is false.God is the
Sublime, the Great,

* Have you not seen how God sends down water from the sky, so the earth
becomes verdant next morning? God is so Gracious, Informed. * He holds whatever
is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth; God is the Transcendent, the
Praiseworthy!

(IX)** Have you not seen how God has subjected whatever is on earth to you,
and the ships that sail at sea by His command? He holds back the sky from
falling down on the earth except with His permission. God is so Gentle, Merciful
towards mankind. * He is the One Who gives you life, then causes you to die;
next He will revive you. Yet man is so ungrateful!

* Each nation have We granted ritual they are devoted to, so do not let
anyone argue with you about the matter. Appeal to your Lord; for you are
following straight guidance. * If they should dispute with you, then say: "God
is quite Aware as to what you are doing; * God will judge between you on
Resurrection Day concerning what you (all) have been disagreeing about."

** Do you not know that God knows whatever is in Heaven and Earth? That is
[contained] in a Book; such a thing is easy for God! * Yet instead of God they
worship something for which no authority has been sent down, and about which
they have no knowledge. There is no supporter for wrongdoers. * Whenever Our
clear signs are recited to them, you will recognize the disgust on the faces of
those who disbelieve; they almost pounce upon those who recite Our verses to
them!

SAY: "Shall I announce something even worse than that to you? T Fire!" God
has promised it to those who disbelieve. How awful is such a goal!

(x) * 0 mankind, a parable has been composed, so listen to it!

The Fly

Those whom you appeal to other than to God will never create a fly,
even though they combined together to do so.

Yet if the fly should snatch anything away from them, they
would not even know how to recover it from it. How weak the seeker is,
andanything he seeks!

* They cannot measure God according to His true power. God is Strong,
Powerful. ** God selects messengers from both angels and from mankind; God is
Alert, Observant. * He knows what lies in front of them and what stands behind
them; to God do (all) matters return.

BOW DOWN HERE

* You who believe, bow down and kneel before [Him], and worship your
Lord; and do good, so that you may succeed. * Strive for God' sake, the way He
should be striven for. He has picked you out and has not placed any constraint
upon you concerning [your] religion, the sect of your forefather Abraham.

He has named you Muslims both previously and right now, so the
Messenger may be a witness for you, and you may act as witnesses for mankind.

Keep up prayer and pay the welfare tax, and cling firmly to God; He is your
Protector. What a splendid Protector, and what a splendid Supporter!

23. Believers

THIS CHAPTER of six sections contains 118 late Meccan verses, all in fact
except for the very last one. it was revealed after Prophets 21 and
before Worship 32 and The Inevitable 56. It takes its name from
the first sentence in the chapter (NOTE that Chapter 40 has an alternate title,
The Believer, with the same noun used in the singular).

The mood here is somewhat poetic with its initial vision of creation and
man's reproduction; then it relates God's transcendent care in providing for
mankind and the Universe. Noah's mission is mentioned next (II),followed
by a description of the final reward in an inspiring scene (IV). Then one
follows on God in all His Oneness (V), which continues to the end of the
chapter.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

PART THIRTEEN

The True Believer

(I)* Believers will succeed!

* [This means] those who are reverent in their prayer, * who refrain from
idle talk, * who are active in [promoting] public welfare ** and who guard their
private parts * except with their spouses and whomever their right hands may
control, since then they are free from blame. * Those who hanker after anything
beyond that are going too far! * And those who preserve their trusts and their
pledge, * and who attend to their prayers, ** will be the heirs * who shall
inherit Paradise to live there for ever.

Creation and Reproduction

* We created man from an extract of clay; * then We placed him as a drop of
semen in a secure resting-place. * Then We turned the semen into a clot; next We
turned the clot into tissue; and then We turned the tissue into bones and
clothed the bones with flesh.

Then We reproduced him as a fresh creation. Blessed be God, the Best of
Creators!

** Then later on you shall die. * Next you will be raised up again on
Resurrection Day.

God's Care

* We have created seven orbits above you; We have not been heedless about
creation. * We send down water from the sky in due measure, and let it trickle
into the earth. We are even Able to make it disappear. * We have produced date
groves and vineyards on it for you; from which you have much fruit to eat, ** as
well as a tree growing on Mount Sinai which produces oil and seasoning for those
who [want to]eat. * You have [still another] lesson in livestock: We let
you drink what is in their bellies, and you have many [other] uses in them; some
of them you eat, * while on them and on shipboard are you transported.

Noah

(II) *We sent Noah to his folk, and he said: "My people, worship God;
you have no other deity except Him. Will you not do your duty?" * The elders
among his folk who disbelieved said: "This is only a human being like yourselves
who wants to attain some superiority over you. If God had wished, He would have
sent down angels [instead]. We never heard about this from our early
forefathers. ** He is only a man possessed by some sprite, so try to catch him
off guard for a moment." * He said; "My Lord, support me in view of how they
have rejected me!"

* So We inspired him: "Build the ship under Our eyes and through Our
inspiration. When Our command comes and the reservoir bursts open, send two out
of every species on board as well as your own family, except for any of them
against whom the Sentence has already been pronounced. Do not lecture Me about
those who have done wrong: they will be drowned. * When you and anyone else who
is with you have boarded the ship, then SAY:"Praise be to God, Who has
saved us from such wicked folk!" * And (also) SAY:

"My Lord, land me through a blessed landing;You are the best
Harbormaster!"

Unnamed Messengers

** In that there were signs: We are always Testing (people).

(*Then We produced a generation of others after them; * We sent a
messenger around from among themselves: "Serve God; you have no other deity
except Him! Will you not do your duty?")

(III) *The elders among his people who disbelieved and denied there
would be any meeting in the Hereafter, even though We had granted them every
luxury during worldly life, said: "This is only a human being like yourselves;
he eats what you eat, and drinks what you drink. * If you obey a human being
just like yourselves, you will then turn out to be losers. ** Does he promise
you that when you die and have become dust and bones, that you will be brought
forth again? * Away, off with whatever you are threatened with! * There exists
only our present life; we die even as we live, and shall not be raised up again.
* He is only a man who has invented some lie about God, and we do not believe in
him." * He said: "My Lord, support me because they have rejected me!"

** He said: "Some morning soon they will feel regretful." * The Blast really
caught them and We turned them into rubbish. Away with such wicked folk! Then We
raised upother generations after them. *No nation may anticipate
its deadline nor will they ever postpone it.

* Then We sent Our messengers one after another. Each time its messenger came
to some nation, they rejected him, so We followed some of them up with others
and turned them into conversation pieces. Away with any folk who will not
believe!

Moses and Aaron

** Next We sent Moses and his brother Aaron with Our signs and clear
authority * to Pharaoh and his courtiers, and they acted too proudly and were
such haughty folk. * So they said: "Are we to believe in two human beings like
ourselves while their people are slaving for us?" * They rejected them both, and
so eventually were wiped out. * Yet We had given Moses the Book so that they
might be guided.

Jesus and Mary

** We set up the son of Mary and his mother as a sign, and sheltered them
both on a hilltop where there was both lodging and a spring.

(IV) * 0 messengers, eat wholesome things and act honorably; I am Aware of
anything you do. * This nation of yours [forms] one community while I am your
Lord, so heed me! * Yet they carve up their business into cartels among
themselves, each faction happy with whatever lies before them. * Leave them in
their excitement for a while.

** Do they reckon that We have only afforded them wealth and children because
of it? * We hurry good things up for them, yet they do not even notice it! *
Those who feel anxious out of awe for their Lord, * and those who believe in
their Lord's signs, * and those who do not associate anything with their Lord,
** and those who give away anything they may give while their hearts feel wary
lest they should return to their Lord; [all] those compete in doing good deeds
and they will soon attain them.

* We only assign a soul something it can cope with. Before Us lies a
Book which speaks up for Truth; they will not be dealt with unjustly. * Instead
their hearts are full of excitement because of this. They have other deeds
besides those which they are committing, * so that whenever We seize their
high-livers with torment, just imagine how they bellow! ** "Do not roar [so
loud] today; you will not be supported by Us. * My signs have already been
recited to you while you proudly turned on your heels * away from it, sitting up
nights to chatter on and on about it."

* Have they not reflected on the Sentence, whether something that never
reached their earliest forefathers may not have come to them? * Or do they not
recognize their Messenger and are disgusted with him? * Or do they say: "Some
[mad] sprite possesses him!"?

Rather he has brought them the Truth, while most of them hate the Truth. * If
Truth had followed their whims, Heaven and Earth would have collapsed in chaos,
along with anyone who is in them. Rather We have brought them their Reminder,
yet they keep avoiding their Reminder.

* Or are you asking them [to make] some outlay'? Your Lord's tribute is best,
for He is the Best Provider! * You are calling them to [follow] a Straight Road
* while those who do not believe in the Hereafter go swerving off the Road. **
Even if We showed them mercy and removed any trouble that worries them, they
would still blindly persist in their arrogance. We had already seized them with
torment yet they did not surrender to their Lord nor beseech [Him] * until just
as We opened up a gate for them leading to severe torment, why they were
dumbfounded by it!

God's Presence

(v) * He is the One Who has furnished you with hearing, eyesight and vital
organs; yet how seldom are you grateful!

* He is the One Who has scattered you over the earth, and to him shall you be
summoned.

** He is the One Who gives life and brings death; He controls the alternation
between night and daylight. Will you not reason?

* Instead they say the same thing as the first men said; * they say: "When we
have died and become dust and bones, will we be raised UP again?" * This was
promised us and our forefathers long ago. These a only legends (made up] by
primitive people!"

* SAY:"Who owns the earth and anyone on it, if you know [anything]?"
** They will say : "It is God's." SAY:"Will you not bear it in mind?"

* SAY:"Who is Lord of the Seven Heavens and Lord of the splendid
Throne?" * They will say: "Theyare God's." SAY: "Will you do not your
duty [by Him]?"

* SAY: "In Whose hand lies sovereignty over everything? He protects, while
against Him there is no protection, if you but realized it." * They will say:
"It is in God's." SAY: "How is it you act so bewildered?"' ** Rather We have
brought them the Truth while they deny it

* God has not adopted any son, nor is there any [other] deity alongside Him,
otherwise each god would carry off whatever it has created, and
some of them would gain the upper hand over others.

Glory be to Godbeyond what they describe! * Knower of the
Unseen and the Visible: Exalted is He over anythingthey may associate
[with Him)?

(VI) * SAY: "My Lord, will you show me what they are threatened with? * My
Lord, do not place me among such wrongdoing folk!"

** We are Able indeed to show you whatever We are threatening them with!
Repay evil with something that is finer; We are quite Aware of
anything they describe.

** SAY: "My Lord, I seek refuge with You from the devils promptings. * I seek
refuge with you, my Lord, lest they accompany me, * since whenever death comes
to any one of them, he says: "My Lord, send me back *** so I may act honorably
with anything I may have left behind"'

The Last Trumpet

Indeed not! It is merely a remark he is making. Beyond them there lies a
barrier till the day when they will be raised up again. * Once the Trumpet is
blown, no ties of kinship will exist between them on that day, nor may they
question one another. * Those whose scales are heavy will be prosperous; * while
those whose scales are light will be the ones who have lost their souls; they
will remain in Hell. * The fire will scorch their faces while they will glower
away in it. ** "WereMy signs not recited to you as you (all) were
rejecting them?"

* They will say: "Our Lord, our misery has overwhelmed us and we were errant
folk. * Our Lord, get us out of here! If we ever should return [to
disobedience], then we would indeed be wrongdoers." * He will say: "Sink down
into it, and never speak to Me! * A group of My servants used to say: 'Our Lord,
we believe, so forgive us and have mercy on us; You are the Best One to show
mercy!' ** You took them for a laughingstock until they made you forget to
remember Me since you had been laughing so hard at them. * I have rewarded them
today for how patient they have been; they are triumphant."

Life is not Frivolous

* He will say [further]: "Howmany years did you stay on earth?" *
They will say: "We stayed a day or part of a day. Ask the timekeepers." * He
will say: "You only lasted a little while, if you only realized it. ** Did you
reckon We have created you just for fun and that you would never be returned to
Us?"

* Exalted is God, the true King!There is no deity except Him,Lord of
the Noble Throne!

* Anyone who appeals to any other deity along with God (Himself), has no
proof for it. His reckoning rests only with his Lord. Disbelievers will not
succeed.

* SAY: "My Lord, forgive and show mercy!You are the Best One to show
mercy!"

24. Lights

THIS CHAPTER forms one of the great treasures of the Quran, chiefly because
of the lyrical hymn to Light found in section V. It contains 64 Meccan
and Madinese verses arranged in nine sections. The chapter dates from before
Pilgrimage 22, while V. 64 was revealed after Banishment 29. NOTE
the elevated style and the frequent use of the adverb abadan or 'never'
throughout this chapter.

The beginning contains advice or "light" on sex, etiquette and
personal modesty, and states that marriage is desirable (IV); it also warns
against committing slander and perjury. The middle portion consists of the great
hymn to "Light" which gives the chapter its title, and from which much
illumination and mysticism arise in Islam. Proof of God follows (VI). The end
concerns etiquette and protocol in connection with public business, as Islamic
society began to need rules to live by and for its own government. Old maids and
eating in public are other topics which are discussed in VIII.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) *[This is] a chapter We have sent down and ordained.We send
clear signs down in itso that you (all) may be reminded.

Sexual Offences

* Flog both the adulterous woman and the adulterous man with a hundred
lashes, and do not let any pity for either party distract you from [complying
with] God's religion if you believe in God and the Last Day. Have a group of
believers witness their punishment. * An adulterous man may only marry an
adulterous woman or one who associates [others with God]; while an adulterous
woman may only be married to an adulterous man or one who associates [others
with God]. Such [conduct] is forbidden to believers.

Perjury Punished

* Flog those who cast things up at honorable matrons with eighty lashes
unless they bring four witnesses, and never accept their testimony from them
[again]. Those are troublemakers; ** except for the ones who repent later on and
reform. God is Forgiving, Merciful.

* Any persons who accuse their spouses yet have no witnesses except
themselves for it, should offer testimony by swearing four times before God that
he is telling the truth, * plus a fifth [time] thatGod's curse will rest
on him if he is a liar. * It will avert the punishment. from her if she swears
four times before God that he is a liar, * plus a fifth that God's anger will
rest on her if he has been truthful. ** How would it be without God's bounty and
mercy towards you (all)? God is the Receiver of Repentance, Wise.

Slander Condemned

(II) *Those who have brought up such slander form a clique among you.
Do not reckon it is a bad thing for you; rather it will be good for you: every
last man of them shall be charged with whatever he has committed the way of an
offence, while whoever has assumed his leadership over them [through such
gossiping] will have serious torment.

* If you believing men and believing women had only thought of something good
by yourselves when you heard it, and said: "This is an obvious falsehood!" * If
they had only brought four witnesses to [prove] it! When they did not bring any
witnesses, those were liars before God. * If it had not been for God's bounty
towards you, as well as His mercy in this world and the Hereafter, some serious
torment might have afflicted you because of the talk you had indulged in.

** When you encountered it on your tongues and said something with your own
mouths that you had no knowledge about, you reckoned it was trifling although it
was serious with God. * If you had only said as you heard it: "We ought not to
talk about this. Glory be to You! This is serious slander."

* God cautions you never to repeat anything like it again if you are
believers. * God explains signs to you; God is Aware, Wise. * Those who love to
spread shocking news around concerning those who believe will have painful
torment in this world and the Hereafter. God knows while you (all) do not know.
** If God's bounty and mercy had only rested on you; for God is Gentle,
Merciful!

(III)*You who believe, do not follow in Satan's footsteps. Satan
orders anyone who follows in his footsteps to commit acts of sexual misconduct
as well as dishonor. If it had not been for God's bounty and mercy towards you,
not one of you would have ever been pure; but God purifies anyone He wishes. God
is Alert, Aware. * Those among you possessing resources and [other] means should
not fail to give [something to] near relatives paupers and those who are
refugees for God's sake; let them act forgivingly and show indulgence. Do you
not like God to pardon you? God is Forgiving, Merciful.

* Those who cast things up at heedless [yet] believing matrons will be cursed
in this world and the Hereafter. They will have severe torment * on a day when
their tongues, their hands and their feet willtestify against them
concerning whatever they have been doing. ** On that day God will repay them
with their rightful due; they will realize that God means obvious Truth.

* Bad women are for bad men, and bad men are for bad women; while good women
are for good men, and good men are for good women. The latter are absolved from
anything they may say; they will have and generous provision.

Etiquette

(IV) * You who believe, do not enter any houses except your own homes unless
you act politely and greet their occupants; that is best for you so you may
remember. * If you do not find anyone in them, still do not enter them until
permission has been granted you. If you are told: "Get out !", then turn back;
it is more fitting for you. God is Aware of anything you do. * It will not be
held against you, however, for entering any houses which are not inhabited, for
some property belonging to you. God knows anything you show and anything you
hide.

Modesty

** Tell believers to avert their glances and to guard their private parts;
that is chaster for them. God is Informed about anything they may produce. *
Tell believing women to avert their glances and guard their private parts, and
not to display their charms except what [normally] appears of them. They should
fold their shawls over their bosoms and show their charms only to their
husbands, or their fathers or their fathers-in-law, or their own sons or
stepsons, or their own brothers or nephews on either their brothers' or their
sisters' side; or their own womenfolk, or anyone their right hands control, or
male attendants who have no sexual desire, or children who have not yet shown
any interest in women's nakedness. Let them not stomp their feet in order to let
any ornaments they may have hidden be noticed. Turn to God, all you believers,
so that you may prosper!

Marriage is Desirable

* Marry off any single persons among you, as well as your honorable servants
and maids. If they are poor, God will enrich them from His bounty. God is
Boundless, Aware. * Yet let those who do not find [anyway to]
marry, hold off until God enriches them out of His bounty.

Should those whom your right hands control desire their freedom, then draw up
such a writ for them if you recognize anything worthwhile in them. Give them
some of God's wealth which He has given you. Do not force your girls [whom
you control] into prostitution so that you may seek the display of worldly life,
if they want to preserve their chastity. Anyone who forces them (to do
otherwise) [will find] God is Forgiving, Merciful, even after forcing them to. *
We have sent you down clarifying signs and an example in those who have passed
on before you, as well as instruction for the heedful.

God as the Light of the World

(V) ** God is the Light of Heaven and Earth! His light may
be compared to a niche in which there is a lamp; the lamp is in a glass;
the glass is just as if it were a glittering star kindled from a blessed
olive tree, [which is] neither Eastern nor Western, whose oil will
almost glow though fire has never touched it. Light upon
light,God guides anyone He wishes to His light. God
composes parables for mankind; God is Aware of everything!

Houses of Worship

* There are houses God has permitted to be builtwhere His name is
mentioned; in themHe is glorified morning and evening* by men whom
neither business nor tradingdistract from remembering God,keeping up prayer, and paying the welfare tax.

They fear a day when their hearts and eyesightwill feel upset * unless
God rewards them for the finest things they may have done, and gives
them even more out of His bounty. God provides for anyone He wishes
without any reckoning!

* Those who disbelieve [will find] their deeds [will disappear] like a
mirage on a desert: the thirsty man will reckon it is water till, as he
comes up to it, he finds it is nothing.Yet he finds God
[stands] beside himand he must render Him his account; God is
Prompt in reckoning!

** Or like darkness on the unfathomed sea: one wave covers up another
wave, over which there [hang] clouds; layers of darkness, one above the
other! When he stretches out his hand, he can scarcely see it. Anyone
whom God does not grant light to will have no light!

Proof of God

(VI) *Have you not seen how everyone in Heaven and Earth glorifies
God, even to the birds lined up (in flight)? Each knows its prayer and how to
glorify Him. God is Aware of whatever they do. * God holds control over Heaven
and Earth; towards God lies the goal!

* Have you not seen how God drives along the clouds, then masses them
together, next piles them into layers? You see a downpour coming from inside of
them; He sends down mountainous masses from the sky with cold hail in them, and
pelts anyone He wishes with it and wards it off from anyone He wishes. A flash
from His lightning almost takes one's sight away!

* God alternates night and daylight;in that there lies a lesson for
those possessing insight.

** God has created every animal out of water; some of them walk on their
belly, while others walk on two legs and still others walk on four. God creates
anything He wishes; God is Able [to do) everything! * We have sent clarifying
signs down, and God guides anyone He wishes to a Straight Road. * They will say:
"We believe in God and the Messenger, and we obey." Then a group of them will
turn away even after that; those are not believers. * Whenever they are invited
to [come to] God and His messenger so He may judge among them, watch how a group
of them will shunt it aside. * Yet if they have the Truth on their side, they
come to it voluntarily.

** Does some malice lurk in their hearts? Either they act skeptical, or else
they fear that God and His messenger will cheat them. In fact such persons are
wrongdoers!

(VII) *The only statement believers should make when they are invited
to [meet with] God and His messenger, so He may judge among them, is: "We have
heard, and are at your orders!' Those persons will be successful. * Those who
obey God and His messenger, and dread God and heed Him, will be triumphant.

* They swear before God with their most solemn oaths that they would go forth
if you ordered them to. SAY:

Do not swear so; obedience will be recognized,God is Informed about
anything you do."

* SAY: "Obey God and obey the Messenger." If you should turn away he is
responsible only for what he has been commissioned with while you are
responsible for what you are commissioned with. If you obey him, you will be
guided; the Messenger has only to announce things clearly.

** God has promised to appoint those of you who believe and perform honorable
deeds as [His] representatives on earth, just as He made those before them into
(such) overlords, and to establish their religion for the which He has approved
for them, and to change their fear into confidence They serve Me [Alone] and do
not associate anything else with me. Those who disbelieve later on will be
perverse. * Keep up prayer, pay the welfare tax, and obey the Messenger so that
you may receive mercy. * Do not reckon those who disbelieve can ever frustrate
things on earth; their lodging will be the Fire, and how wretched is such a
goal!

Good Manners at Home

(VIII) * You who believe, have those whom your right hands control and those
of you who have not yet reached puberty, ask permission from you on three
occasions: before the daybreak prayer; when you take off you clothes at noon
[for a siesta]; and after the late evening prayer. You have three times for
privacy.

There is no objection for you nor for them outside those times as they move
around you so some of you may wait on others. Thus God explains signs to you;
God is Aware, Wise. * Whenever any children of yours reach puberty, let them ask
permission just as those before them have had to ask for such permission. Thus
God explains His signs to you; God is Aware, Wise.

Unmarried Women (Old Maids)

** Those [elderly] women sitting around [after their menopause] who no longer
expect to marry will meet with no objection if they take off their [outer]
clothing, though without displaying their charms. Yet it is best for them to act
modestly. God is Alert, Aware.

On Eating Out

* It should not be held against the blind nor against the lame, nor against
the lame, nor against the sick nor against yourselves, for your eating in your
own homes or at your fathers' or your mothers' homes, or your brothers' or your
sisters' homes, or at your uncles' or aunts' homes on your father's side, or
your uncles' or aunts' on your mother's side, or those whose keys you have in
your custody, or with some friends of yours. There is no objection to your
eating either together or separately. Whenever you enter any houses, greet one
another with a blessed, wholesome greeting by invoking God. Thus God explains
[His] signs to you so that you may reason things out.

Protocal with Public Business; Manners in Public

(IX) *Believers are merely those who believe in God and His
messenger. Whenever they are with the latter on some collective errand, they
should not leave until they have asked him for permission to do so. Those who do
ask you for such permission are the ones who believe in God and His messenger.

Whenever they ask you for permission [to attend] to some affair of their own,
then give anyone of them you may wish, leave to do so, and seek forgiveness from
God for them. God is Forgiving, Merciful.

* Do not treat the Messenger's bidding you [to do something] just as if one
of you were calling out to someone else. God knows which of you try to slip
away, aiming to get out of something. Let anyone who opposes his order beware
lest some trial afflict them or some painful torment should befall them! * God
possesses whatever is in Heaven and Earth! He knows what you (all) stand for,
while He will notify them about whatever they have done on the day they are
returned to Him. God is Aware of everything!

25. The Standard (or The Criterion)

THIS RATHER long chapter of six sections consists of 77 Meccan verses, and
vv. 68-70 in section VI which date from Madina. It was revealed after
Ya-Sin 36 and before Originator 35. The purpose of its
message is to make associators reflect on the future.

The Standard mentioned refers to man's intellectual faculties and his
power of distinguishing right from wrong. It begins with a statement directed
against those associators who accused Muhammad of copying others and not being a
Prophet in his own right, and likewise against their objects of worship
(I-II).It ends in a long hymn to God's creation, His power, and the
parable of "The Two Seas" (V).

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * Blessed is the One Who has sent down the Standard to His servant
so he may [act as] a warner for [everyone in] the Universe, * the One Who holds
control over Heaven and Earth, Who has not adopted any son nor has He any
associate in control. He has created everything and measured it out precisely.

Associators

* Instead of Him, they have taken on (other) gods which do not create
anything while they themselves have been created. They control no harm nor do
they control death nor life, nor even rebirth. * Those who disbelieve say: "This
is only some swindle he has invented; other folk have helped him at it." They
have trumped up something wrong and counterfeit. ** They say: "He has had
legends by primitive men written down; they are dictated to him in the early
morning and evening!"

*SAY:"The One Who knows the secrets of Heaven and Earth has
sent it down. He is Forgiving, Merciful."

Muhammad's personality

* Yet they say: "What sort of messenger is this? He eats food and walks
through the markets! If only some angel were sent down to him, to act as a
warner alongside him! * Or a treasure were offered him, or a garden belonged to
him from which he might eat." Wrongdoers say: "You are only following a man who
is bewitched." * Watch what sort of stories they make up about you; they are
lost and cannot find any way back.

(II)**Blessed is the One Who may grant you something even better than
that if He so wishes: gardens through which rivers flow. He may even grant you
palaces!

* Yet they even deny the Hour. We have prepared a Blaze for anyone who denies
the Hour; * when it appears to them from afar off, they will hear it raging and
moaning. * When they are flung all hitched together into a narrow part of it,
they will plead to be blotted out there. * "Do not plead to be blotted out today
once and for all: plead for annihilation many times over!"

** SAY: "Is that best, or the Garden of Immortality which has been promised
the heedful?" They are both a reward and a goal for them. * They will have
anything they may wish for in it eternally; it is a promise your Lord will be
held responsible for.

* Some day He will summon them along with whatever they have been worshipping
instead of God. He will say: "Were you the ones who led these servants of Mine
astray, or did they stray away by themselves?" * They will say: "Glory be to
You! We would never take on any patrons besides You! However you let them and
their forefathers enjoy things until they forgot the Reminder and became a
worthless folk."

Meddlers

* They will reject you in anything you (all) may say, so you will not manage
to avert it nor find any support. We shall let any of you who does any wrong
taste great torment. ** We have never sent any emissaries before you unless they
ate food and walked around the markets. We have placed some of them as a trial
for others. Will you be patient while your Lord is Observant?

PART THIRTEEN

(III)* Those who do not expect to meet Us say: "Why arent angels sent down to
us, or we are allowed to see our Lord?" They act too proud of themselves, and
strut around quite insolently!

Doomsday

* Some day they shall see the angels! There will be news for criminals on
that day and they will say: "Oh, for a stonewall built to protect [us]!" * We
shall advance upon whatever action they have performed and turn it into
scattered dust. * The inhabitants of the Garden will have the best residence and
finest lodging on that day, ** on a day when the sky will split open along with
its clouds, and the angels will be sent right on down. * True control will
belong to the Mercy-giving on that day.

It will be a harsh day for disbelievers, * a day when the wrongdoer will gnaw
away at his hands. He will say: "It's too bad for me! If I had only taken a
pathway alongside the Messenger! It's too bad for me! If I had not adopted
So-and-So as a close friend! He led me astray from the Reminder even after it
had reached me. Satan is such a turncoat with man.

** The Messenger will say: "My Lord, my folk assume this Reading is
out-of-date. * Thus have We granted every prophet an enemy among criminals. Yet
your Lord suffices as a Guide and Supporter. * Those who disbelieve say: "Why
has not the Quran been sent down to him in one single piece?"

[It has been done] like that so your vitals may be braced by it; We have
phrased it deliberately. * They will not come to you with any example unless We
will bring you the Truth and something even finer as a commentary. * Those who
are dragged off face down to Hell will be in a worse plight and farthest off the
track.

(IV)** We gave Moses the Book, and placed Aaron alongside him as a helpmate.
* We said: "Go off to a folk who have denied Our signs." We utterly destroyed
them!

* So when Noah's folk rejected the messengers, We let them drown and set them
up as a sign for mankind. We reserve painful torment for wrongdoers * such as Ad
and Thamud and the companions at the Well and many generations in between. * We
have made up parables for each, and each We followed up with doom. ** They have
come to the town on which an evil rain poured down. Had they not seen it? Indeed
they had not expected to be reborn.

* Whenever they see you, they merely treat you as a laughingstock: "Is this
the person whom God has sent as a messenger? * He almost led us away from our
gods, if we had not acted so patient towards them." They will know who is
furthest off the track when they see the torment!

* Have you seen someone who has taken his own passion as his god? Would you
act as a trustee for him? * Or do you reckon that most of them do hear or even
use their reason? They are just like livestock-indeed, they are even further off
the track!

God's Power

(V) ** Have you not seen how your Lordlengthens shadows? If He so
wished,He would make them stand still.

Then We placed the sun as an
indicator for them; * next We gradually pulled them toward Us. *
He is the One Who has placed night as a garment for you, and sleep for
repose; He makes daytime for rising again.

* He is the One Who has
sent the winds as heralds announcing His mercy.We send pure water down
from the sky, * so We may bring life to a dead land, and let everything
We have created drink from it, such as livestock and men
aplenty.

** We have spelled it out for themso they may bear it in
mind; yet most men refuse [to do] anything except disbelieve (in it).

* If We had so wished, We might have despatched a warner into every town. *
Do not obey disbelievers and struggle seriously with them concerning it.

The Two Seas

* He is the One Who has cut off both seas, this one being sweet, fresh,
while the other is salty, briny. He has placed an isthmus in between them
plus a barrier to block them off.

Creation

** He is the One Who created humanity out of water; and He has granted them
blood ties as well as in-laws. Your Lord has been s Capable! ** Yet instead of
God they worship something that neither benefits nor hurts them. The disbeliever
will be a backer [for anything against his Lord!

God is Living

* We have only sent you as a herald and a warner. * SAY: "I do not ask you
for any payment for it except that anyone who wishes to may accept a way unto
his Lord. * Rely on the Living One Who never dies. Hymn His praise! Sufficient
is it for Him to be Informed about His servants' offences, * since He is the One
Who created Heaven and Earth as well as whatever lies in between them, in six
days. Then the Mercy-giving mounted on the Throne. Ask any informed (person)
about Him."

BOW DOWN HERE

** When they are told: "Bow down on your knees before the
Mercy-giving," they say: "What is the Mercy-givinig" Are we to bow down on our
knees just because you order us to?" It merely increases their disdain.

(VI) * Blessed is the One Who has placed constellations in the sky and set
abeacon in it, plus a shining moon!

* He is the One Who has granted night and daytime in succession for anyone
who wants to reflect (on it) or wants [to show] gratitude,

God's Servants OR Worshippers

* and the Mercy-giving's servants who walk modestly on earth and peacefully
say: "How do you do!" whenever ignorant men address them;

* who spend the night bowing down on their knees and standing before their
Lord; ** and who say:

"Our Lord, ward off Hell's torment from us! Its torment is atrocious;
* it is such an evil residence and station;"

Charity Described

* who when they spend, give neither too lavishly nor yet hold back and keep
to a happy medium;

Anyone who does so will incur a penalty. * Torment will be doubled for him on
Resurrection Day and he will remain disgraced for ever in it, ** except for
someone who repents and believes, and acts in a honorable manner. God will
replace their evil deeds with fine ones, since God is Forgiving, Merciful.

* Anyone who repents and acts honorably should turn to God in repentance,

Gossip

* and those who will not bear false witness, and when they pass by[people] gossiping, pass by in a dignified manner,

* who whenever they are reminded of their Lord's signs, do not fall down deaf
and blind [when reminded] of them;

* and [rather] who say: "Our Lord, bestow the comfort of our eyes on us in
our spouses and our offspring. Make us a model for those who do their duty."

Paradise

** Those will be rewarded with the Mansion because they have been so patient,
and welcomed there with greetings as well as "Peace [be on you]!", * to live
there for ever. How fine is such a residence and status!

* SAY: "My Lord will never care about you unless you appeal to Him.Yet since
you have rejected [Him], something else will be necessary.

26. Poets

THIS CHAPTER of eleven sections and 227 mostly Meccan verses was revealed
after The Inevitable 56 and before the next chapter on TheAnts
27. Verse 197 however and vv. 224-226 at the end of the final section (XI)
date from the Madinese period.

The next four chapters display a different style, being rather long but using
short verses; thus they form a special unit. One notices how each prophetic
parallel and refrain mentioned brings home the fact that while prophets may use
poetic utterances, this illustrates the patterns they need, so as to show
mankind how history and man's fate should be understood. Moses (II),then
Abraham's attitude toward idols, plus his prayer (V), are first presented: Noah
(VI), then the early Arabian messengers Hud (VII), Salih or Methusaleh (VIII),
Lot (IX), and Shucayb (X) follow.

This motif in fact sounds like that of a symphony as it moves along and is
gradually worked out, or like the kharja or refrain in an Andalusian
choral lyric. The concern is directed toward God as the Lord of the Universe.
The chapter ends with a dramatic description of how early Arabian poets went
"staggering around in every river valley".

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * T.S.M.

* These are verses from the Clear Book.

* Perhaps you are fretting your soul away because they are not believers. *
If We so wished, We might send a sign down to them from Heaven so they would bow
their heads submissively before it. ** No Reminder ever comes to them as a
renewal from the Mercy-giving except they shun it. * They have just rejected
[it], so news of what they have been ridiculing will soon come to them. * Have
they not looked at the earth [to see] how many generous species We have grown on
it?

* In that is a sign; though most of them

are not believers. * Yet your Lord

is the Powerful, the Merciful.

Moses' Story

(II) **So your Lord summoned Moses: "Go to the wrongdoing folk, *
Pharaoh's folk! Will they not heed?" * He said: "My Lord, I fear they will
reject me, * and my breast feels cramped while my tongue will not loosen up.
Send for Aaron! * They have [laid] a charge against me; so I fear they will kill
me." ** He said; "Indeed not; let both of you go off

with Our signs, We will be listening along with you. * Go to Pharaoh and say:
"We are messengers from the Lord of the Universe. * Send the Children of Israel
off with us!"'

* He said: "Did we not rear you as a child among us and you spent several
years of your life with us? * Yet you committed the deed you did: You are so
ungrateful!" ** He said: "I did it while I was misguided. * I fled from you
(all) because I feared you. Still my Lord has bestowed discretion on me and set
me up as an emissary. * Is this some favor you have shown me-that you have
enslaved the Children of Israel?"'

* Pharaoh said: "What is the Lord of the Universe?" * He said: "The Lord of
Heaven and Earth and whatever [lies] in between them, if you will be convinced."
** He said to those around him: "Arent you listening?" He said: "Your Lord and
the Lord of your very first forefathers," * He said: "Your messenger who has
been sent to you is crazy!" * He said: "[He comes from] the Lord of the East and
West, and whatever lies inbetween them, if you know how to reason." * He said:
"If you should adopt any god besides me, I shall make you a prisoner." ** He
said: "Even if I bring you something obvious?" * He said: "Bring it, if you a
telling the truth!"

* So he cast his staff down and imagine, it was clearly a snake! * He pulled
out his hand [from his shirtfront], and imagine, it was white to the spectators!

(III) *He told the councilmen around him: "This is some clever
magician ** who wants to drive you out of your land through his magic. What do
you order?" * They said: "Make him and his brother wait, and send recruiters out
into the cities * who will bring you in every clever magician."

* So the magicians were gathered for the appointment on a certain day, * and
the people were told: "Are you assembling ** so that we may follow the sorcerers
once they have won out?"

* When the sorcerers came, they said to Pharaoh: "Will we have payment if we
are the winners?" * He said: "Yes, you will then become courtiers."

* Moses told them: "Throw down whatever you are going to throw.' * So they
threw their ropes and their staffs, and said: " By Pharaoh's majesty, we will be
the winners!" '* So Moses cast his staff and imagine, it swallowed up what they
were shamming about!

* The sorcerers dropped down on their knees; * they said: "We believe in the
Lord of the Universe, * the Lord of Moses and Aaron!" * He said. "Have you
believed in Him before I permit you to? He is your chief who has taught you
magic. You will know! ** I'll cut your hands and feet off on opposite sides and
crucify you all!" * They said: 'It wont hurt! We will be sent home to our Lord;
* we long for our Lord to forgive us our mistakes so we may be the first among
believers."

(IV) *We inspired Moses as follows: "Travel with My servants at
night: you will be pursued!"

* Pharaoh sent recruiters into the cities: * "Those are a few dissidents; **
they are agitating against us. * We are completely forwarned."

* Yet We drove them out of (their) gardens and springs, * treasures and a
splendid position. * The same We let the Children of Israel fall heirs to.

** They followed after them at sunrise. * When both groups sighted each
other, Moses' companions said: "We have been overtaken!" * said: "Not at all! My
Lord stands by me; He will guide me!"

* So We inspired Moses as follows: "Strike the sea with your staff!" If
opened up and each section was like a huge cliff. * We brought the others up
next, ** and saved Moses and all those who were with him. * Then We let the rest
drown.

* In that is a sign; though most of them

are not believers. * Yet your Lord

is the Powerful, the Merciful.

Abraham and Idols

(V) * Recite Abraham's news to them ** when he said to his father and his
folk: "What are you worshipping?" They said; "We worship idols, and are utterly
devoted to them." * He said; "Do they hear you when you call, or benefit you or
harm [you]?" * They said: "Rather we found our fathers doing so."

God's Care

** He said: "Have you ever seen what you have been worshipping, you and your
forefathers, the oldtimers? * They are enemies of mine, except for the Lord of
the Universe * Who created me. He guides me * and is the One Who feeds me and
gives me something to drink. ** Whenever I fall ill, He heals me; [He is] the
One Who will cause me to die, then bring me back to life [again]; * the One Who
I expect will forgive me my mistakes on the Day for Repayment.

Abraham's Prayer

* "My Lord, bestow discretion on me and acquaint me with honorable men! *
Grant me a truthful reputation among later men, ** Grant me an inheritance in
the Garden of Bliss. Forgive my father even though he may be [considered] lost.
* Do not disgrace me on the day they are raised up again, * the day when neither
wealth nor children will benefit anyone * except for someone who comes to God
with a sound heart."

Doomsday

** The Garden will be brought near for those who did their duty; * while
Hades will appear for the straying * and someone will say to them: "Where is
whatever you were serving * instead of God? Will they support you, or even
support themselves? So they will be toppled into it, both they and the misguided
ones, as well as all of Diabolis' armies. * They will say while they quarrel
away in it: "By God, we were in such obvious error * when we put you (all) on
the same footing as the Lord of the Universe! * It has only been criminals who
have led us astray; *** We have no intercessors * nor any bosom friend. * If we
had another chance, we would then be believers!"

* In that is a sign, though mostof them

are not believers. * Yet your Lord

is the Powerful, the Merciful.

Noah

(VI) **Noah's folk rejected the emissaries * when their brother Noah
said to them: "Will you not do your duty? * I am a trustworthy messenger for
you, * so heed God and obey me. * I do not ask you for any payment for it; my
payment only concerns the Lord of the Universe. ** So heed God and obey me!"

* They said: "Are we to believe in you while the meanest people follow you?"
He said: "What knowledge do I have about what they have been doings Their
reckoning only concerns my Lord, if you will only notice it! * I do not intend
to drive any believers away; ** I am merely a plain warner."

* They said: "If you do not stop, Noah, you will become an outcast." * He
said: "My Lord, my folk have rejected me! * Decide the case between me and them,
and rescue me as well as any believers who may be with me!" * So We rescued him
and anyone who was with him on the laden ship. ** Then later on We let those who
remained drown.

* In that is a sign, though most of them

are not believers. * Yet your Lord

is the Powerful, the Merciful!

Hud

(VII) * Adrejected the emissaries * when their brother Hud said to
them; "Will you not do our duty? I am a trustworthy messenger for you, * so heed
God and obey me. I do not ask you for any payment for it; my payment only
concerns the Lord of the Universe.

* "Are you building a sign on every hill just so you may fool around? * Are
you setting up workshops so that you may live for ever? ** Whenever you assault
anyone, you pounce on them like bullies. * So heed God and obey me; * heed the
One Who has furnished you with whatever you know. * He has furnished you with
livestock and children, * gardens and springs. ** Yet I fear the torment of a
terrible day for you!"

* They said: "It's all the same for us whether you lecture [us] or are not
lecturing. * This is only a fabrication [made up] by primitive men; * we are not
going to be punished. * They rejected him, so We wiped them out.

In that is a sign; though most of them

are not believers. ** Yet your Lord

is the Powerful, the Merciful!"

Salih

(VII) *Thamud rejected the emissaries when their brother Salih said
to them: "Will you not do your duty? I am a trustworthy messenger for you, * so
heed God and obey me. I do not ask you for any payment for it; my payment only
concerns the Lord of the Universe.

* "Will you be leftsecurely in what you have here, * among gardens
and springs, * crops and datepalms with slender stalks? * You skillfully hew
houses out of the mountains. ** Heed God and obey me; * do not obey the order of
extravagant people * who corrupt [things] on earth and never reform." * They
said: "You are merely someone deluded; * you are only a human being like
ourselves! Bring a sign if you are so truthful."

** He said: "This is a she-camel. She has drinking rights while you have
drinking rights on a fixed day. * Do not touch her so that you hurt her, lest
the torment of an awful day may seize you!"

(IX) ** Lot's folk rejected the emissaries * when their brother Lot said to
them: "Will you not do your duty? * I am a trustworthy messenger [sent] to you,
* so heed God and obey me. * I do not ask you any payment for it; my payment
only concerns the Lord of the Universe. ** Do you approach males among [everyone
in] the Universe, * and ignore any wives whom your Lord has created for you?
Indeed you are such defiant folk!"

* They said; "If you do not stop, Lot, you will become an exile." * He said:
"I am someone who detests your behavior. * My Lord, save me and my family from
what they are doing!"

** So We saved him and his whole family * except for an old woman among those
who stayed behind. * Then We annihilated the rest; * We sent a rain down upon
them. How evil was such a rain for those who had been warned!

* In that is a sign; though most of them

are not believers. ** Yet your Lord

is the Powerful, the Merciful.

Shuayb

(X) * The dwellers in the Forest rejected the emissaries * when Shuayb said
to them: "Will you not perform your duty? * I am a trustworthy messenger [sent]
to you, * so heed God and obey me! ** I do not ask you for any payment for it;
my payment only concerns the Lord of the Universe.

* "Give full measure and do not cause [people] any losses. * Weigh with
honest scales; * do not undersell people to cheat them of their things nor storm
around the earth in order to spoil matters. * Heed Him Who created you and the
character of the earliest men."

** They said: "You are merely someone bewitched. * You are only a human being
like ourselves, and we think you are a liar. * Let a piece fall out of the sky
on us if you are so truthful." * He said: "My Lord is quite Aware of what you
are doing."

* So they rejected him, and the torment of a gloomy day gripped them; it was
the torment of a terrible day!

** In that is a sign, though most of them

are not believers. * Yet your Lord

is the Powerful, the Merciful!

(XI) * It is a revelation from the Lord of the Universe.

* The Faithful Spirit has brought it down * for your heart, so may be a
warner ** in a clear Arabic tongue. * It [can be found] in the Psalms of early
men. * Do they not have a sign since the scholars Children of Israel knew about
it? * If We had sent it down to some outsider * and he had read it to them, they
would never have believed in it.

*** Despite that, We slip it into criminals' hearts. * They will not believe
in it until they see painful torment; * it will come upon them suddenly while
they least suspect it, * and so they say: "Will we be allowed to wait?"

* Are they trying to hasten up Our torment? ** Have you seen how We let them
enjoy themselves for years, * then whatever they have been threatened with,
comes to them? * Whatever they have been enjoying will never benefit them.

Devils are Helpless

* We never wipe out any town unless it has had its warners * to remind [it].
We have never been unfair. ** The devils did not descend with it: * it does not
suit them to, nor can they manage it; * they are too withdrawn to even hear it.
* Do not appeal to any other deity along with God, lest you be tormented. *Warn your nearest kinfolk; ** lower your [protecting] wing over any
believers who may follow you. * I opposed to you, then SAY: "I am innocent of
whatever doing." * Rely on the Powerful, the Merciful * Who sees you whenever
you stand up [in prayer] * as well as how you move around among those who are
bowing down on their knees. ** He is the Alert, Aware.

The Poets Themselves

* Shall I tell you who are the ones on whom the devils descend? * They come
down upon every bluffing sinner. * They even try to eavesdrop, since most of
them are liars; * and poets are followed around by them bewildered.

** Do you not see them staggering around in every river-valley? * They preach
what they never practise, * except for those who believe and perform honorable
deeds, remember God often, and protect themselves once they have been wronged.
Those who do wrong shall know what sort of upsets they may expect to face!

27. The Ants

THIS CHAPTER of seven sections consists of 92 Meccan verses. It was revealed
following the previous chapter on Poets 26 and before the next one on
Stories 28. The chapter consists of fables or allegories which give it a
narrative quality somewhat like The Cave 18.

It begins with the story of Moses (I) and then describes King Solomon's
knowledge and his meeting with the Queen of Sheba (II), which thus creates a
beautiful allegory on that king's campaigns. The title to the chapter comes from
the ants he meets on one such campaign. Thamud's ancient Arabian
messenger, Salih or Methusaleh and Lot are also mentioned (IV). The grave sin of
Association is next discussed in section V, which leads into a splendid hymn to
God Alone.

The chapter ends with consolation for Muhammad despite the apparent
thanklessness of the Prophet's mission, for it assures him that God will take
care of everything he has been worrying over. The final section (VII) offers a
description of the fate awaiting rejectors.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * T. S.

These are verses from the Quran and a clear Book * [offered] for guidance and
as good news for believers * who keep up prayer and pay the welfare tax while
they feel certain about the Hereafter. * We have made those who do not believe
in the Hereafter feel their actions are attractive even though they are (really)
groping around. ** Those are the ones who will have the worst torment, while
they will be the greatest losers in the Hereafter. * Yet you have been
profferred the Quran by Someone [Who is] Wise, Aware.

Moses

* Thus Moses told his household: "I've glimpsed a fire. I'll bring you some
news from it, or I'll bring you a glowing ember so that you may warm
yourselves."

* When he came up to it, [a voice] called out: "Blessed be Whoever is in the
Fire, and whoever stands around it! Glory be to God, Lord of the Universe! * 0
Moses, I am God, the Powerful, the Wise. ** Throw down your staff!"

When he saw it wriggling as if it were possessed, he turned his back on it
and tried to run away. '"Moses, do not fear. Emissaries do not fear in My
presence * except for someone who has done wrong. Then, should he change to
something finer after [committing] evil, I will be Forgiving, Merciful, * Put
your hand into your shirtfront; it will come out without [causing any] evil.
There will be nine signs for Pharaoh and folk. They have been such immoral
people."

* When Our signs came to them so plain to see, they said: "This is sheer
magic!" * They repudiated them wrongfully and haughtily though they themselves
felt certain about it. See how the outcome was for mischief makers.

Solomon's Knowledge

(II) ** We gave David and Solomon knowledge, and they both said: "Praise be
to God, Who has made us excel over many of His believing servants." * Solomon
fell heir to David, and he said: "O mankind, we have been taught the speech of
birds, and been given [a little] of everything. This is manifest bounty."

* His armies of sprites, men and birds were drawn up before Solomon; they
paraded forth * until, when they came to the Valley of the Ants, an ant
said: "O ants, enter your dwellings lest Solomon and his armies crush you
without even noticing it."

* So he smiled, laughing at its statement, and said: "My Lord, arrange things
for me so I shall act grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me
and my parents, and so I may act so honorably that You will approve of it. Admit
me through Your mercy among Your honorable servants.

** He inspected the birds, and said: "What's wrong with me that I do not see
the plover? Or could it be absent? I shall punish it severely or slaughter it,
unless it brings me some clear authority."

The Queen Of Sheba

* It was not long in coming, and said: "I have just acquired some information
you have not picked up, for I bring you reliable news from Sheba. * I found a
woman ruling over them, and she has been given everything and has a splendid
throne. I found both her and her people bowing down on their knees to the sun
instead of to God [Alone]. Satan has made their actions seem attractive to them,
and diverted them from the [proper] Way.

They are not guided ** so they do not bow down on their knees before
God,

BOW DOWN HERE

Who brings forth what is concealed

in Heaven and Earth, and knows

anything you hide as well

as anything you display.

God, there is no deity except Him,

Lord of the splendid Throne!

* He said: "We shall see whether you have been truthful or are a liar. * Take
this letter of mine and deliver it to them. Then leave them, and seewhat
[answer] they send back."

* She said: "Councilmen, an important letter has been delivered to me. ** It
is from Solomon and it (reads]: "In the name of God, theMercy-giving,
the Merciful! * Do not act haughtily towards me, and come to me committed to
[live at] peace."

(III) *She said: "Councilmen, give me your opinion concerning my
affair: I have never settled any matter unless you were present with me." * They
said: "We possess strength and can be extremely violent, while authority rests
with you; so attend to whatever you will command."

* She said: 'Whenever any kings enter a town and plunder it, they turn the
most important men among its people into the lowest. Thus they act. ** I am
sending them a gift and shall be watching for whatever the emissaries bring
back."

* When it reached Solomon, he said; "Will you furnish me with wealth? What
God has given me is better than what He has given you; nevertheless you seem
quite happy with your gift. * Go back to them, for We shall come to them with
armies they can never resist. We shall expel them from it just like the meanest
people, and they will be humiliated."

* He said: "Councilman, which of you will bring me her throne before they
come to me committed to [live at] peace?" * An imp among the sprites said: 'I'll
bring it to you before you even rise up from your place. I am strong enough to
be entrusted with it." ** Someone who had some knowledge about the Book said; 'I
shall bring you it in the twinkling of an eye!"

When he saw it set before him, he said: "This is some of my Lord's bounty, so
He may test me whether I am thankful or thankless. Anyone who is thankful gives
thanks only on his own behalf, while with anyone who is thankless, well my Lord
is Transcendent, Generous," * He said: "Disguise her throne for her; let us see
whether she is guided or is one of those who are not guided."

* When she came, someone said: "Is your throne like this?" She said: "It
seems to be similar." (We were given knowledge before she was, and have become
Muslims. * What she had been worshipping instead of God distracted her; she
belonged to disbelieving folk.)

* Someone (else) said to her: "Enter the hall." When she saw it, she reckoned
it was a pool [of water] and [tucked up her skirt and) bared the calves of her
legs. He said: "It is a hall paved with glass slabs." She said: "My Lord, how I
have wronged myself! I commit myself peacefully, along with Solomon, to God,
Lord of the Universe!"

Nonetheless they became two quarreling factions. * He said: "My people, why
do you hasten towards evil rather than something fine? If you only sought
forgiveness from God, you might find some mercy." * They said: "Shall we take it
as an omen from you and from someone who is with you?" He said; "Your fate
depends on God; in fact, you are a folk who will be tested."

* There was a gang of nine persons in the city who caused trouble on earth
and never improved matters. * They said: "Let's all swear by God that we shall
catch him and his family some night. Then we shall tell his next of kin: 'We did
not witness the slaughter of his family. We are telling the truth!"'

** They plotted away while We plotted too, and they did not even notice it. *
See what was the outcome of their plotting! We annihilated them and their folk
completely! Those used to be their houses - [now] empty because of the wrong
they had committed! In that is a sign for folk who know. * We saved the ones who
believed and had been doing their duty.

Lot

* When Lot told his folk: 'Do you indulge in sexual misconduct with your eyes
open?" ** Do you approach men passionately instead of women? Indeed you are folk
who act out of ignorance!"

PART TWENTY

(IV cont'd) * His folk's answer was merely to say: "Run Lot's family out of
your town; they are people who try to keep clean!" * So We saved him and his
family, except for his wife; We destined her to be one of those who stayed
behind. * We sent a rain down upon them; how evil was such rain for those who
had been warned!

Association

(V) * SAY: "Praise be to God, and peace on those servants of His whom He has
selected. Is God Better, or whatever they associate [with Him]?.

** "Who created Heaven and Earth and has sent down water from the sky for
you, so We have caused lovely gardens to grow by means of it? You have no other
way to make their trees grow."

A Hymn to God Alone

Is there any (other) deity alongside God?

Rather they are people who dodge the facts.

* Who set the earth up as a residence,

laced it with rivers and planted headlands on it,

and laid an isthmus between both seas?

Is there any (other) deity alongside God?

Rather most of them do not know.

* Who answers the distressed man

when he appeals to Him, and removes evil,

and makes you overlords on earth?

Is there any deity alongside God?

How seldom do you reflect [on this]!

* Who guides you through darkness

on land and at sea, and Who sends out winds

as heralds for His mercy?

Is there any deity alongside God?

Exalted is God over anything

they may associate [with Him]!

* Who begins with creation,

then performs it all over again?

Who provides for you

from Heaven and Earth?

Is there any deity alongside God?

SAY: "Bring on your proof

if you have been so truthful!"

True Knowledge

** SAY: "No one in Heaven or

knows the Unseen except God!"

They do not even realize when they will be raised up again; * nor does their
knowledge grasp the Hereafter. Rather they are in doubt ab indeed they are blind
concerning it!

(VI) * Those who disbelieve say: "When we and our forefathers have become
dust, shall we be brought forth again? * We and our forefathers were promised
this before; these are only legends [made up] by primitive men."

* SAY: "Travel around the earth and see what the outcome for criminals was
like." ** Do not worry about them nor feel any anxiety over whateverthey are plotting. * They are saying: "When will this promise be, if you
are so truthful?" * SAY: "Perhaps part of what you are try to hurry up will
catch you from behind!"

* Your Lord possesses bounty for mankind, although most of them are not
thankful; * yet your Lord does know anything your breasts conceal as well as
anything they display. ** There is nothing elsewhere in either Heaven or Earth
unless it appears in a plain Book. * This Reading tells the Children of Israel
most of what they have been differing over; * it serves as guidance and a mercy
for believers.

* Your Lord will judge between them through His discretion; He is the
Powerful, the Aware! * So rely on God, since you hold manifest Truth. ** You
cannot make the dead hear, nor even the deaf hear the Appeal once they turn
around to escape. * You are no one to guide the blind out of their error; you
will only cause someone who believes in Our signs to listen, for they are
committed to [live in] peace. Whenever the Sentence prevails against them, We
shall bring forth a monster from the earth for them who will speak to them,
because mankind has not bee convinced by Our signs.

Doomsday

(VII) * Some day We shall summon a troop from every nation which has rejected
Our signs, and they will be paraded forth * until, when they come [before God],
He will say: "Did you reject My signs and not grasp any knowledge concerning
them? What have you been doing?"

** The Sentence will prevail against them because of the wrong the have
committed. They will not utter [a word]. * Have they not considered how We have
made night so they may rest in it, and daylight so they can see? In that are
signs for folk who believe.

* Some day the Trumpet will be blown and startle whoever is in Heaven and
whoever is on Earth, except for anyone God may wish. Everyone will come to Him
abjectly. * You will see the mountains, which you reckoned were solid, slip away
just as clouds slip away, through the handiwork of God Who consummates
everything. He is Informed about whatever you are doing.

* Anyone who comes with a fine deed will have something better than it and
they will be safe from that day's terror; ** while anyone who comes with an evil
deed will be flung face down into the Fire: "Arent you rewarded with just what
you've been doing?"

The Prophet's Orders

* I have only been ordered to serve the Lord of this region which He has
hallowed. He possesses everything. I have been ordered to be a Muslim, * and to
recite the Quran. Anyone who is guided, will be guided only for his own sake,
while tell anyone who strays away: 'I am merely a warner."

God's care

SAY: "Praise be to God!

He will show you His signs

so you may recognize them.

Your Lord is not overlooking

anything you do!"

28. Stories

THIS NINE-SECTION chapter consists of 88 late Meccan verses, except for vv.
52-55 (in section (VI)which date from Madina. The whole chapter was
revealed after The Ants 27 which immediately precedes it, and before
The Night Journey 17, during the Transfer from Mecca to Madina in the
year 0/622.

The reader should gather all of these tales about Moses and the proud rich
man, Quran (VIII),together, and try to understand them; they are similar
to the comparisons found in Poets in Chapter 26.

Moses previously appears in Midian in connection with the Burning Bush
(I-IV),and we are once more shown God and His light in VII.The
chapter ends with solace for Muhammad and believers, and relief for the
Prophet's worries as they all contemplate God's face (IX).

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * T.S.M.

* These are verses from the clear Book!

* We shall recite in all truth to you some information about Moses and
Pharaoh for folk who believe.

Moses and Pharaoh

* Pharaoh had acted haughtily on earth and split his people into factions,
seeking to weaken a group of them. He slaughtered their sons and let their women
live; he was so depraved! ** Yet We wanted to endow those who were considered
inferior on earth, and make them into leaders and make them [Our] heirs. * We
established them on earth and showed Pharaoh and Haman as well as their troops
how they should beware of them.

* We inspired Moses' mother [as follows]: "Nurse him. If you should fear for
him, then cast him into the river. Do not fear nor feel sad; We will return him
to you, and appoint him as a missionary."

* Pharaoh's household took him in, so that he became an enemy and [a source
of] sadness for them. Pharaoh and Haman as well as their troops were so
mistaken! * Pharaoh's wife said: "[He'll be] a comfort for me and for you. Do
not kill him! Perhaps he'll benefit us, or we'll adopt him as a son." They did
not suspect [a thing].

** Next morning the vitals of Moses' mother felt empty; she almost revealed
who he was, if We had not bound up her heart so she would be a believer. * She
told his sister: "Keep track of him."

So she watched out for him from a distance while they did not notice it. * We
kept him from nursing at first, and so she said: "Shall I lead you to a family
who will look after him for you? They will take good care of him." * Thus We
restored him to his mother so he might comfort her and she would not feel so
sad, and so she would know that God's promise is true, even though most of them
do not realize it.

(II) *When he reached maturity and came of age, We gave him
discretion and knowledge. Thus We reward those who act kindly.

** He entered the city at a time when its people were lax, and found two men
fighting there, one from his own sect and the other from his enemy's. The one
who was from his own faction appealed for his assistance against the one who was
from his enemy's. Moses punched him and he finished him off!

Moses' Soliloquy

He said: "This is some of Satan's work; he is such an enemy, a plain
misleader." * He said: "My Lord, I have wronged my own soul. Forgive me!" So He
forgave him; He is the Forgiving, the Merciful, * He said: "My Lord, since You
have shown me such favor, I shall never back up any criminals [again]."

* Yet he felt fearful next morning in the city; he was on the alert, when the
man he had tried to support the day before called out to him for help [again].
Moses told him: "You are clearly a trouble-maker." * When he wanted to catch the
one who was an enemy to them both, he said: "Moses, do you want to kill me just
as you killed another person yesterday.? You only want to become a bully on
earth; you do not want to be a reformer."

** A man came hurrying up from the further end of the city; he said: "Moses,
the councilmen are deliberating about you, whether they should execute you.
Clear out! I am giving you sincere advice." * He left it fearfully, on the
alert. He said: "My Lord, save me from such wrongdoing folk!"

Moses in Midian

(III) *As he made his way towards Midian, he said: "Perhaps my Lord
will guide me along some level path." * When he approached the water of Midian,
he found a company of people watering [their flocks] there, and found two women
besides them, holding theirs off at a distance. He said: "What's the matter with
you?" They both said: "We may not draw any water until the herdsmen move on. Our
father is an elderly gentleman."

* So he did the watering for them. Then he went off to [rest in] the shade,
and said: "My Lord, I am poor enough to accept anything You may grant me." **
One of the girls came up to him, walking bashfully. She said: "My father invites
you, in order to reward you with some [sort of] payment since you have done the
watering for us."

When he came up to him, he told him the stories. He said: "Do not
fear; you have escaped from wrongdoing folk."

* One of the two (girls) said: "My father, hire him! The best man you can
hire is someone who is strong, trustworthy." * He said: "I want to marry you to
one of these daughters of mine, provided you hire yourself out to me for eight
seasons. If you should complete ten, then that will be your own affair. I do not
want to be hard on you; you will find me an honorable man, if God so wishes." *
He said: "That is up to you and me; whichever term I may serve out, there will
be no injustice done to me. God is a Trustee for anything we say."

Thr Burning Bush

(IV) * When Moses had completed the term [that he had promised to work] and
was travelling away with his family, he glimpsed a fire on a slope of Mount
[Sinai]. He told his family: "Stay here! I've glimpsed a fire. Perhaps I may
bring you some news from it, or an ember from the fire so you may warm
yourselves."

** So when he came up to it, someone called out to him from the tree in the
blessed hollow on the right bank of the valley: "Moses, I am God, Lord of the
Universe!" * And then: "Throw down your staff."

Other Signs

When he saw it twitching as if it were possessed, he turned around and tried
to escape. "Moses, come closer and do not act afraid. You will be safe! * Slip
your hand into your shirtfront; it will come out white without being harmed. And
gather up your courage against any apprehension. These will be two proofs from
your Lord for Pharaoh and his councillors; they have been such immoral folk.

* He said: "My Lord, I killed a person among them, and fear they may execute
me. * My brother Aaron is more convincing with his tongue; send him along with
me to back me up and vouch for me. I fear they will talk me out of it." **He said: "We shall strengthen your arm by means of your brother and grant
both of you authority so they will not overtake either of you. Because of Our
signs, you both will win out, as well as anyone who follows you."

* When Moses brought them Our clear signs, they said: "This is only some
contrived magic. We have not heard of this through our early forefathers." *
Moses said: "My Lord is quite Aware as to who brings guidance from His presence
and who will attain the Home in the end. Wrongdoers do not succeed."

Pharoah's Tyranny

* Pharaoh said: "Councilmen, I have not known any god for you except myself.
Light [a kiln] for me, Haman, for some clay, and build me a tower so I may climb
up to Moses' god. Still I think he's a liar!"

* Both he and his troops acted overproud on earth without any right [to be
so]. They thought they would never return to Us. ** We seized him and his troops
and hurled them into the deep. See how the outcome was for wrongdoers! * We
turned them into leaders who invite [men] to the Fire. On Resurrection Day they
will not be supported. * We shall let a curse follow them in this world, while
on Resurrection Day they will look hideous.

(V) * We gave Moses the Book after We had wiped out the earliest generations
[to serve] as insights for mankind, and for guidance and mercy so they might
bear it in mind. * You [Muhammad], were not (present) on the western slope when
We settled the matter for Moses, nor were you a witness; ** but We raised up
some generations, and [their] lifetime was prolonged for them. Nor were you a
resident among the people of Midian, reciting Our signs to them, but We were [to
send] emissaries.

* You were not on the slope of Mount [Sinai] when We called out, but [have
been sent] as a mercy from your Lord so you might warn a folk whom no warner had
come to before you, so that they might bear it in mind. * If only some calamity
would strike them because of what [evil] their hands have sent on ahead, and so
they would say: "Our Lord, if only you had sent us some messenger, we should
have followed Your signs and been believers!"

* Yet when the Truth did come to them from Our presence, they said: "If he
were only given the same as Moses was given!" Still had they not already
disbelieved in what Moses was given? They say: "Double magic, to back each other
up!" And they say: "We disbelieve in everything."

* SAY: "Bring a book from God's presence which will be a better guide than
either of them so I may follow it if you are that truthful." ** If they do not
respond to you, then know they are merely following their own whims. Who is more
misguided than someone who follows his own whim without having any guidance from
God? God does not guide wrongdoing folk."

Early Believers

(VI) *We have conveyed the Statement to them so they might keep it in
mind. * The ones We gave the Book to previously believe in it; * whenever it is
recited to them, they say: "We believe in it; it is the Truth from our Lord! We
have already committed ourselves to [live in] peace."

* Those will be given their payment twice over because of what they have
endured; they ward off evil with good and spend some of what We have provided
them with.

** Whenever they hear any gossip, they shun it and say: "We hold to our
actions while you have your actions." Peace be upon you! We do not hanker after
ignorant people."

* You do not guide someone you love,

but God guides anyone He wishes.

He is quite Aware as to who are guided.

* They say: "If we followed guidance along with you, we'd be swept out of our
land." Yet have We not established a safe haven for them where produce of every
sort is brought from Our presence as sustenance? However most of them do not
realize it.

* How many towns have We wiped out who were reckless in their way oflivings Those dwellings of theirs have been inhabited only occasionally
since then. We have been [their] heirs! * Your Lord has never been the destroyer
of any towns unless He had despatched a messenger to their capital city who
recited Our signs to them. Nor did We ever destroy any towns unless their people
became wrongdoers. ** Anything you have been given is for enjoyment and as an
attraction during worldly life. Yet what God has is better and more lasting.
Will you not use your reason?

(VII) *Is someone We have made a handsome promise to and who will
receive it, like someone whom We have allowed to enjoy worldly life, then will
be made to appear on Resurrection Day?

God Needs No Associates

* Some day He will call out to them and say: "Where are My associates whom
you have been claiming." * The ones against whom the Sentence will be pronounced
will say: "Our Lord, those are the people whom we have misled! We misled them
just as we ourselves went astray. We absolve ourselves before You; it was not we
whom they worshipped." * Someone will say: "Appeal to your associates!" So they
will appeal to them, yet they will not answer them. They will see the Torment-if
only they had accepted guidance!

** Some day He will call out to them and say: "How did you answer the
emissaries?"' * The news will seem confusing to them on that day, and they will
not [be able to] question one another. * Yet anyone who repented, believed and
acted honorably may possibly be among those who are successful.

God the Lord

* Your Lord creates and chooses

anything He wishes;

while they have no choice.

Praise be to God; Exalted is He

over anything they may associate with Him!

* Your Lord knows anything their breasts conceal

and anything they may disclose.

** He is God [Alone];

there is no deity except Him!

Praise belongs to Him from the very first

as well as in the Hereafter.

Discretion is His, and to Him

will you (all) return.

God's Light

* SAY: "Have you considered, if God should lay perpetual night over you until
Resurrection Day, what deity besides God would bring you any radiance? Will you
not listen?"

* SAY: "Have you considered whether if God should lay perpetual daylight over
you until Resurrection Day, what deity other than God would bring you night
wherein you might find rest? Will you not observe [these things]?

Night and Day

* "Out of His mercy He has granted you night and daytime so you may rest in
the one and seek some of His bounty [in the other], and so that you may feel
grateful."

* Some day He will call out to them and say: "Where are My associates whom
you have been claiming?" ** We shall drag a witness out of every nation and We
shall say: 'Bring on your proof!" They will realize that Truth belongs to God
while whatever they were inventing has left them in the lurch.

Quran OR Koran

(VIII) *Quran belonged to Moses' folk, and he acted insolently
towards them. We gave him such treasures that his keys [alone) would have
overburdened a squad of strong men. So his people told him: "Dont act so happy,
for God does not love people who are too happy. * Seek a home in the Hereafter
through whatever God has given you. Do not neglect your share in this world, and
act kindly, just as God has treated you kindly. Do not aim to cause
mischief on earth; God does not love mischief makers."

* He said: "I have been given it only because of some knowledge I possess."
Did he not realize that God had wiped out generations before him who were
stronger than he and possessed even greater resources? Will not criminals be
questioned concerning their offences?

* He went forth to his folk [dressed] in his finery. Those who wanted worldly
life said: "If we only had the same as Quran has been given! He has been
extremely lucky!" ** However those who had been given knowledge said: "It will
be too bad for you! God's recompense is better for anyone who believes and acts
honorably. Yet only the patient will encounter it."

* Then We let the earth swallow up him and his home. He did no have any party
to support him against God; he was not supported. * Those who longed to be in
his place the day before, said the next morning: "Since it is God Who extends
sustenance to anyone He wishes from among His servants and measures it out, it
would have swallowed us up too if God had not cared for us. It seems that
disbelievers do not prosper.

Comfort for the Heedful

(IX) * That home in the Hereafter will We grant to those who want neither
haughtiness nor any corruption on earth. The outcome belongs to those who do
their duty. * Anyone who brings a fine deed will have something even better than
it, while anyone who comes with an evil deed [will find that] those who perform
evil deeds will not be rewarded except for whatever they have been doing.

** The One Who has charged you with the Reading will return you to [your]
destination. SAY: "My Lord is quite Aware as to who has brought guidance and who
is in plain error." * You did not expect that the Book would be delivered to you
except as a mercy from your Lord.

Do not back up disbelievers! * Do not let it distract you [observing] God's
signs once they have been sent down to you. I [people to meet] your Lord and do
not be an associator; * do appeal to any other deity along with God: there is no
god except Him.

God's Face

Everything is perishable except His face!

Discretion belongs to Him, and to Him

will you (all) be returned.

29. The Spider

THISCHAPTER of seven sections consists of 69 middle Meccan verses,
except for the first eleven and the very last one, which date from Madina. It
was revealed after The [East] Romans (OR The Byzantines) 30, the
chapter which follows this one, but before The Cheats 83.

The title comes from the fable on the Spider contained at the end of
section IV which demonstrates how flimsy it is to associate anything else in our
worship of God. It begins with an admonition on the treatment of parents (I),
then mentions Noah, Abraham and offers a philosophy of history (II). Lot (III)
and other prophets follow (IV). It ends with a passage on the duty of Jihad or
striving for God's sake (VII).

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * A.L.M.

* Do people reckon that they will be left alone just because they say: "We
believe," and they will not be tested? * We have tested the ones who preceded
them. God knows the ones who are truthful and He will recognize liars. * Or do
the ones who perform evil deeds reckon they will get ahead of Us? How badly do
they judge!

** God's deadline is coming for anyone who has been expecting to meet God! He
is the Alert, Aware. * Anyone who strives, strives only for his own soul's sake.
God is Transcendent, beyond [any need of] the Universe! * We will overlook their
evil deeds, and reward them with the finest of whatever they have been doing.

Treatment of Parents

* We have instructed everyman to treat his parents kindly. Yet if they should
strive to make you associate anything with Me which you have no knowledge of, do
not obey them! To Me shall be your return, and I will notify you about anything
you have been doing. * We will let the ones who believe and perform honorable
deeds enter in among honorable people.

** There are some people who say: "We believe in God"; yet whenever they
suffer abuse for God's sake, they maintain that any trials by mankind are like
God's torment. If any support should come from your Lord, they would say: "We
have stood alongside you." IsGod not quite Aware of what is on the minds
of [everybody in] the Universe? * God does recognize those who believe and He
(also) recognizes hypocrites.

* Those who disbelieve tell those who believe: "Follow our course and we will
assume [responsibility for] your mistakes." They will not assumetheir
mistakes in any way: they are such liars! * However they will carry their
own loads and others' loads besides their own. They will be questioned on
Resurrection Day about what they have invented.

Noah

(II) *We sent Noah to his folk. He remained among them for a thousand
years less fiftytwelvemonths. The Flood seized them while they were
doing wrong. ** However We saved him and the companions in the ship, and made it
into a sign for [everyone in] the Universe.

Abraham and Image Worship

* Next Abraham told his folk: "Serve God and heed Him. That will be best for
you if you only realized it. * You serve only images instead of God, and create
a sham. The ones you serve instead of God do not control any sustenance for you,
so seek sustenance from God Himself and serve Him; act grateful towards Him; to
Him will you be returned.

* "Yet if you should deny it - and nations before you have already denied
such-the Messenger has only to deliver [his message] clearly. * Have they not
seen how God begins with creation, then performs it all over again? That is so
easy for God [to do]!" ** SAY:"Travel around the earth and see how He
began with creation; later on God raises up fresh growth. God is Capable of
everything! * He punishes anyone He wishes to and shows mercy to anyone He
wishes; to Him will you be restored. * You cannot prevent anything [from
happening] on earth nor in Heaven; you have no patron nor any supporter besides
God."

Abraham's Test

(III) *Those who reject God's signs and [any hope of] meeting Him
despair of My mercy; those will have painful torment.

* There was no answer from his folk except they said: "Kill him or bum him
up!" Yet God saved him from the fire; in that are signs for folk who believe. **
He said: "You have merely adopted images instead of God, out of affection for
one another during worldly life. Then on Resurrection Day some of you will
disown one another while others of you will curse each other. Your refuge will
be the Fire; you will have no supporters!"

* Lot believed in him and he said: "I will move elsewhere for my Lord's sake.
He is the Powerful, the Wise." * We bestowed Isaac and Jacob on him, and granted
prophethood and the Book to his offspring. We gave him his payment in this world
while in the Hereafter he will be among the honorable.

Lot

* So Lot told his folk: "You indulge in such sexual misconduct as no one in
the Universe has attempted before you. * You even accost men and intercept [them
on] the highway! You commit such a horrible thing in your clubs." * His folk's
answer was merely to say: "Bring us God's torment if you are so truthful!" ** He
said: "My Lord, support me against such degenerate folk!"

(IV) * When Our messengers brought Abraham the good news, they said: "We'll
destroy the people of this town. Its people have been doing wrong." * He said:
"Yet Lot is in it!" They said: "We are quite aware as to who is in it. We'll
save both him and his household, except for his wife; she is one of those who
will stay behind."

* When Our messengers came to Lot, he felt wretched because of them, for
[his] ability to protect them was so slender. They said: "Do not fear nor feel
so sad. We shall save you and your family, except for your wife; she will be one
of those who will stay behind. * We are sending a blight down from Heaven upon
the people of this town because they have been acting so depraved." ** We have
left some of it as a clear sign for folk who will [use their powers of] reason.

Other Prophets

* To Midian [was sent] their brother Shuayb. He said: "My folk, serve God and
await the Last Day. Do not cause such mischief that it will ruin the earth." *
They rejected him, so the Tremor seized them, and one morning they lay cowering
in their home. * Both Adand Thumad have been explained to you by means
of their [empty] dwellings; Satan made their actions seem attractive to them and
he diverted them from the Way even though they had been granted insight.

Different Punishments

* [In the case of] Quran, Pharaoh and Haman, Moses brought them explanations
and they [still] acted overbearing on earth; yet they could never get ahead [of
Us]. ** Each We seized for his offence; some of them We sent a hailstorm
against, some the Blast overtook, others of them We let the earth swallow up,
while still others We drowned. It was not God Who wronged them, but they had
already wronged themselves.

The Spider's Web

* Those who enlist other patrons instead of God may be compared to the
Spider, who adopts a house for himself. The flimsiest house is the
Spider's house, if they only realized it!

* God knows anything they may appeal to besides Himself; He is the Powerful,
the Wise.

* These are parables We make up for mankind, though only the learned will use
their [powers of] reason. * God created Heaven and Earth in [all] Truth; in that
is a sign for believers!

The Aim of Prayer

(V) ** Recite whatever has been revealed to you from the Book, and keep up
prayer: prayer restrains one from sexual misconduct and debauchery. Yet
mentioning God is even more important, for God knows whatever you produce.

PART TWENTY-ONE

Debating and Handling Arguments

(v, contd) * Do not argue with the People of the Book unless It is in the
poutest manner, except for those of them who do wrong. SAY: "We believe in
what has been sent down to us and what has been sent down to you. Our God and
your God is [the Same] One, and we are committed to [observe] peace before Him.

The Book

* Thus We have sent you down the Book. The ones whom We have given the Book
to believe in it. Some of those are [people] who believe in it; only
disbelievers repudiate Our signs. * You had not been reciting any book
previously nor did you copy it down with your right hand; otherwise quibblers
would suspect it. * Rather it exists as clear signs in the breasts of those who
have been given knowledge. Only wrongdoers repudiate Our signs. ** They say: "If
only some signs were sent down to him from his Lord!"

SAY: "Signs rest only with God; I am merely a plain warner." * Is it not
sufficient for them that We have sent you down the Book to be recited to them?
In that lies mercy plus a Reminder for folk who believe.

(VI) * SAY: "God suffices as a Witness between (all of) you and me." He knows
whatever exists in Heaven and Earth while those who believe in falsehood and
disbelieve in God will be the losers. * They try to make you hurry up torment.
If it had not been for a specific deadline, torment would already have come to
them. It will come upon them suddenly while they do not even noticeit.

* They try to have you hurry up torment! Hell will engulf disbelievers. **
Some day torment will cover them from both above and from underneath their feet,
and He will say: "Taste what you have been doing!"

Mortality

* 0 My servants who believe,

My earth is vast,

so Me should you worship!

Every soul will be tasting death

then to Us shall you return.

* We shall lodge the ones who believe and perform honorable deeds in the
Garden with mansions by which rivers will flow, to live there for ever. How
splendid will be the earnings of the workers * who are patient and rely on their
Lord!

** How many animals do not carry their own provision! God provides both for
them and for you. He is the Alert, the Aware .

God the Provider

Pagans

* If you should ask them Who created Heaven and Earth, and regulated the sun
and moon, they would say: "God." So why do they shrug [things] off? * God
extends sustenance to any of His servants whom He wishes and measures it out for
him. God is Aware of everything. * If you should ask them Who sends water down
from the sky and revives the earth with it after it has died, they would say:
"God." SAY: "Praise be to God Nevertheless most of them do not use their reason.

(VII) *What is this worldly life except an amusement and a game? Yet
the final Home will mean [real] living, if they only realized it! ** Whenever
they sail on board a ship, they appeal to God sincerely; religion (then) belongs
to Him. Yet whenever He lands them safely, then they associate [others with
Him]. * Let them disbelieve in whatever We have given the and let them enjoy
themselves; they soon shall know!

* Have they not seen how We have granted a safe sanctuary while men are being
kidnapped all around them? Yet they still believe in falsehood and disbelieve in
God's favor! * Who is more in the wrong than someone who invents a lie about God
and rejects the Truth even when it has come to him? Will there not be room in
Hell for [such] disbelievers?

Jihad OR Striving

* We shall guide the ones who strive for Us along Our ways.

God stands by those who act kindly!

30. The [East] Romans (or The Byzantines)

THIS CHAPTER was revealed
after Splitting Open 84 and before the previous chapter on The Spider
29. It consists of six sections with 60 verses in all; 59 are Meccan, while
one, v. 17, dates from Madina. The term Ar-Rum refers to Europe in its
imperialistic phase, even recently in North Africa.

A clear consciousness of history is displayed here, as it was in the previous
chapter; the references is to the current wars then being waged between the
Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire and the Persian Empire in the days of the
Prophet. The chapter also has some lyric passages on the glory of God (II) and
His signs (III). Marriage is discussed, and also differences in speech and race.
Associates or partners must always be watched carefully, we are warned (IV).

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * A.L.M.

* The Byzantines have been defeated * on the nearest front! Following their
defeat they shall conquer * a few years later. With God lies command, both
before and later on. On that day believers will be glad ** of God's support. He
supports anyone he wishes, and is the Powerful, the Merciful. *[Such is] God's
promise; God does not break His promise even though most men do not realize it.
* They recognize he outer show of worldly life, while they are heedless about
the Hereafter.

Philosophy of History

* Have they not reflected about themselves? God has only created Heaven and
Earth and whatever lies in between them for the Truth and till a specific
deadline. Yet many men disbelieve about meeting their Lord. * Have they not
travelled around the earth and seen what the outcome was for those who existed
before them? They were even stronger than they are: they cultivated the earth
and developed it more than they have ever developed it. Their messengers brought
them explanations; it was not God who wronged them, but they wronged themselves.

** Then how evil was the outcome for those who practised evil, simply
because they denied God's signs and kept on making fun of them!

The Hour

(II)* God begins with creation, then He performs it all over again; then to
Him will you return. * Some day when the Hour has been established, criminals
will feel stunned. * They will have no intercessors from among their own
associates; they will even deny they were their associates! * Some day when the
Hour has been established, on that day they will be dipersed. ** Those who
believe and have performed honorable deeds will rejoice in a park, * while those
who disbelieve and reject both Our signs and meeting in the Hereafter will be
presented with torment.

Glory to God

* Glory be to God when you reach eveningand when you arise in the
morning!Praise belongs to Him throughout Heaven and Earth,]and after
supper and when you are at your noonhour.

* He brings forth the living from the deadand brings forth the dead from
the living,and He revives the earth following its death.Thus shall you
(all) be brought forth [again].

God's Signs

(III) ** Among His signs is [the fact] that he has created you from
dust; then you were propagated as human beings.

Marriage

* Among His signs is [the fact] that He has created spouses for you
from among yourselves so that you may console yourselves with them. He has
planted affection and mercy between you; in that are signs for people who think
things over.

Differences in Speech and Race

* Among His signs are the creation of Heaven and Earth, as well as the
diversity in your tongues and colors. In that are signs for those who know.

* Among His signs are your sleeping at night and by day, and your
pursuit of His bounty. In that are signs for any folk who listen.

* Among His signsis how He shows you lightning for both fear and
anticipation. He sends water down from the sky so He may revive the earth with
it following its death. In that are signs for folk who use their reason.

** Among His signs are [the fact] that the sky and earth hold firm at
His command. Then whenever He calls you forth out of the earth once and for all,
you will (all) come forth! * Anyone who is in Heaven and Earth belongs to Him;
all are susservient to Him.

* He is the One Who starts out with creation; then He performs it all over
again. It is quite simple for Him [to do]. He sets the Supreme Example in Heaven
and Earth; He is the Powerful, the Wise!

Sharing Control

(IV) * He offers you an example frm among yourselves. Do you have any
partners for what We have provided you with among those whom your right hand
controls? Do you [feel] the same in such a case so that you fear [these
servants] just as you fear one another? Thus We spell out signs for folk who
will use their reason. * Rather the ones who do wrong follow their own whims
without having any knowledge. Who will guide someone whom God has let go astray?
They will have no supporters.

Correct Religion

** So keep your face set enquiringly towards the [true] religion, God's
natural handiwork along which lines He has patterned mankind. There is no way to
alter God's creation. That is the correct religion, though most men do not
realize it * even as they turn towards Him. Heed Him and keep up prayer, and do
not be one of those who associate [others with Him], * such as the ones who
split up their religion and form sects. Each party is happy with whatever lies
before them. * Whenever some trouble afflicts mankind, they appeal to their
Lord, turning towards Him; then when He lets them taste some mercy from Himself,
a group of them will associate others with their Lord, * so as to disbelieve in
whatever We have given them. So enjoy yourselves, for you shall know!

** Or have We sent down some authority to them which speaks t them about what
they are associating with Him? * Whenever We let mankind taste mercy, they are
glad about it; yet if any evil should strike them because of what their hands
have sent ahead, then they feel despondent. * Have they not seen how God extends
sustenance to anyone He wishes, and budgets it? There are signs in that for folk
who believe.

* So give the near relative his due, and the needy and the wayfarer; that
will be best for the ones who want [to see] God's face. Those will be
prosperous. * Any usury you farm out so it will be increased from (other)
people's wealth will never increase so far as God is concerned; while those of
you who pay something as welfare tax while you seek God's face, will have it
multiplied. ** God is the One Who has created you, then provided for you; next
He will cause you to die, then revive you. Are there any of your associates who
can perform anything like that? Glory be to Him; Exalted is He over anything
they may associate [with Him]!

(V) * Pollution has appeared on land and at sea because of what man's hands
have accomplished, so he may let them taste something of what they have earned,
in order that they will turn back [in repentance]. * SAY: "Travel around the
earth and see what the outcome was for those who [lived] before. Most of them
were associators [of others in their worship of God]."

* Keep your face set toward the established religion before a day comes from
God which cannot be fended off. On that day they will be dispersed! * Anyone who
disbelieves must assume [responsibility for] his disbelief, while whoever acts
honorably will have things adjusted for themselves, ** so He may reward the ones
who have believed and performed honorable deeds out of His bounty. He does not
love disbelievers.

* Among His signs is [the fact] that He sends the winds to bring news
so he may let you taste some of His mercy, and so ships may sail at His command,
in order that you may seek some of His bounty and so that you may act grateful.
* We have sent messengers to their folk before you; they brought them
explanations and We were avenged on those who had committed any crimes. It is
right for us to support believers!

* God is the One Who sends the winds to blow the clouds along. He spreads
them out in the sky just as he wishes, and breaks them up into patches so you
see a shower coming from inside them. When He strikes any of His servants whom
He wishes with it, they are overjoyed, * even if before it fell on them, they
had felt disheartened.

** Look at the traces of God's mercy, how he revives the earth following its
death. Such is the Reviver from the dead; He is capable of everything! * Even if
We sent a wind so they might see it turning things yellow, they would still keep
on disbelieving even after it. * You cannot make the dead hear, nor even make
the deaf hear the Appeal once they have turned their backs on it. * You are no
one to guide the blind out of their error: only someone who believes in Our
signs will listen; since they are committed to (live in) peace.

The Final Hour

(VI) * God is the One Who has created you out of weakness; then He has
granted strength following [your] weakness; later on He has granted weakness and
grey hairs in place of strength. He creates whatever He wishes; He is the Aware,
the Capable. ** Some day the Hour will be established when criminals will swear
they have been hanging around for only an hour. Thus they have (always) shrugged
things off!

* The ones who have been given knowledge and faith will say: "You have hung
around until the Day of Rebirth, but you are such that you do not know it!: * On
that day no excuse of theirs will benefit those who have done wrong nor will
they be allowed to argue back.

* We have set forth every sort of example for men in this Quran. Yet even if
you brought them some sign, those who disbelieve would still say: "You (all) are
only trifling!" * Thus God seals off the hearts of those who will not know. **
Be patient; God's promise is true. Do not let those who will not be convinced
treat you lightly!

31. Luqman

THIS CHAPTER was revealed after (Drawn Up In) Ranks 37 and before
Sheba 34. It consists of four sections which embrace 34 Meccan
verses (except that the poem on "God's Words" in section III dates from a later
period in Madina).

Among the Arabs Luqman was a spiritual associate and possible grandnephew of
the Old Testament prophet Job, and similar to the fableteller and wise man of
Greece called Aesop. He is in fact the traditional Arab sage who fills much the
same place in Arab folklore as Aesop (OR the 'Ethiopian') did among the Greeks.

From now on the chapters become shorter. This one is full of fine thoughts,
including a Polonius-style speech to the wiseman's son. Towards the end, it also
has two hymns, one on "God's Words" (III) and the other on "God the All-Knowing"
(IV).

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) *A. L. M.

* These are verses from the Wise Book, * [offered] as guidance and mercy for
those who act kindly, * who keep up prayer, pay the welfare tax and are
convinced about the Hereafter. ** Those hold on to guidance from their Lord;
such will be prosperous.

* Some men buy up sporting tales to mislead [others] from God's way without
having any knowledge, and they take it [all] as a joke. Those shall have
shameful torment. * Whenever Our verses are recited to him, he turns around
disdainfully as if he had not even heard them, just as if both his ears were
hard of hearing. Announce painful torment to him!

The Skeptic's Challenge

* The ones who believe and perform honorable deeds will have gardens of Bliss
* to live in for ever. * God's promise is true, and He is the Powerful, the
Wise. ** He has created the heavens without any visible support. He has cast
headlands on the earth lest it sway with you, and dispersed all kinds of animals
throughout it. We send water down from the sky with which We grow every type of
noble species. * This is God's creation. Show me what those others besides Him
have created! Indeed, wrongdoers are in obvious error.

Luqman's Advice to His Son

(II) *We gave Luqman wisdom:

"Give thanks to God. Anyone who gives thanks, merely gives thanks for his own
sake; while anyone who is ungrateful [will find] God is Transcendent,
Praiseworthy."

Association is a Serious Sin

* Thus Luqman told his son as he was instructing him: "My dear
son, do not associate anything [in your worship] of God [Alone]. Association is
such a serious wrong!"

Respect for Parents

* (We have commissioned (every)man to [look after] his parents: his mother
bears him with one fainting spell after another fainting spell, while his
weaning takes two years. Thank Me as well as your parents; towards Me lies the
Goal! ** Yet if either of them should strive to make you associate anything with
Me which you have no knowledge about, do not obey them although you should
(still) keep company with both of them properly during [their life in] this
world. Follow the way of anyone who feels concerned about Me. Then to Me will be
your return and I shall notify you about whatever you have been doing.)

* "My dear son, if there existed the weight of a mustard seed, and it lay in
some boulder in either Heaven or Earth, God would still bring it forth. God is
so Gracious, Informed.

Social Conduct

* "My dear son, keep up prayer, command what is proper and forbid dishonor.
Endure patiently whatever may afflict you; for that shows determination in
[handling] matters. * Do not sneer down your cheek at other men nor walk brashly
around the earth: God does not love every swaggering boaster. * Act modestly in
the way you walk, and lower your voice:

The ugliest sound is a donkey's voice!

(III)**Do you not see how God has harnessed whatever is in Heaven and
whatever is on Earth for you? He has lavished His favor on you both publicly and
privately. Yet some men will still argue about God without having any knowledge
or guidance, nor any enlightening Book! * Whenever they are told: "Follow
whatever God has sent down," they say: "Rather we follow what we found our
forefathers doing." Even though Satan has been inviting them to the torment of
the Blaze?

Tolerance Towards Disbelievers

* Anyone who commits his person peacefully to God and acts kindly has grasped
the Firmest Handle! Towards God lies the destiny of matters. No matter who
disbelieves, do not let his disbelief sadden you; to Us will be their return and
We shall notify them about whatever they have done. God is Aware of what is on
people's minds. * We will let them enjoy themselves for a little while; then We
will drive them along to stern torment.

** If you should ask them who created Heaven and Earth, they would say:
"God." SAY: "Praise be to God!" However most of them do not realize it, * God
owns whatever is in Heaven and Earth; God is Transcendent, Praiseworthy.

God's Words

* If only the trees on earth were pensand the [inky] sea were later
onreplenished with seven other seas,God's words would never be
exhausted;God is Powerful, Wise!

* Your creation and your rebirth [happen] only as with a single soul.
God is Alert, Observant.

* Have you not seen how God wraps night up in daylight and wraps
daylight up in night? He regulates the sun and moon: each runs along on
a fixed course. God is Informed about anything you do!

** That is because God is the Truth while anything they appeal to
instead of Him is false.God is the Sublime, the Great!

The Sea

(IV) * Have you not seen ships sailing along at sea because of God's favor,
so He may show you some of His signs? In that are signs for every [person who
is] persevering, grateful.

* Whenever waves cover them like awnings, they appeal to God sincerely;
religion belongs to Him! Yet once He delivers them to land, some of them act
disinterested. It is only every ungrateful swindler who repudiates Our signs.

* Mankind, heed your Lord and dread the day when no parent will make amends
for his child nor will any offspring make amends in any way for his parent.
God's promise is true, so do not let worldly life deceive you, nor even let the
Deceiver deceive you concerning God.

God the All-Knowing

* God has knowledge about the Hour. He sends down showers and knows
whatever wombs contains. Yet no person knowswhat he will earn
tomorrow,nor does any person knowin what land he will
die.Still, God is Aware, Informed!

32. Worship or Adoration (Bowing Down On One's Knees)

THIS CHAPTERwas revealed after Believers 23 and before The
Mount 52. The act of kneeling in worship or prostration is mentioned in II,
15:III, and 41:V. However I do not care for the term 'prostration' that has
often been given as a translation for the title since it has neurotic overtones
in contemporary English, Islamic worship requires more reverence.

This is the last chapter initialed with the letters A.L.M. (these have
already appeared in Chapters 2, 3, 29, 30, & 31). It consists of 30 Meccan
verses arranged in three sections, except for vv. 16-20 in section II which date
from Madina. Creation and man are the initial themes heard in section I.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * A. L. M.

* The revelation of the Book which contains no doubt [has been accomplished]
through the Lord of the Universe.

* Or do they say: "Hehas invented it!"? Rather, it is the Truth from
your Lord so you may warn a folk to whom no warner has come before you, so that
they may be guided.

Creation

* God is the One Who created Heaven and Earth as well as whatever lies in
between them, in six days. Then He mounted on the Throne. You (all) have no
patron nor any intercessor besides Him. Will you not bear this in mind?

** He organizes the matter from Heaven [down] to Earth; then it will soar
back up to Him on a day whose measure is a thousand years according to the way
you count. * Such is the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible, the Powerful, the
Merciful * Who makes everything He creates so fine!

Man

He started out by creating man from clay; * then He made his progeny from an
extract of discarded liquid; * next He completed him and breathed some of His
own spirit into him. He has granted you hearing, eyesight and vital organs. Yet
small thanks do you give for it! ** They say: "When we have sunk deep into the
earth shall we [take part] in some fresh creation?" Indeed they disbelieve about
meeting their Lord! * SAY: "The Angel of Death who has been given charge of you
will gather you in. Then you will (all) be returned to your Lord.

(II) *If you only could see how criminals will hang their heads
before their Lord: 'Our Lord, we have observed and heard; so send us back! We
will act honorably; we are convinced!" * If We had so wished, We might have
given each soul its own guidance, but the Sentence [passed] by Me has been
confirmed: "I shall fill Hell with sprites and men all together! * So have a
taste, since you have forgotten about meeting on this day of yours! We have
likewise forgotten you. Taste the torment of eternity because of what you have
been doing."

BOW DOWN HERE

** The only ones who believe in Our signs are those who drop down kneeling
[in worship] whenever they are reminded of them, and hymn their Lord's
praise. They do not act so proudly. * They slip quietly away from their beds to
appeal to their Lord in fear and anticipation, and spend [charitably] whatever
We have provided them with. * No soul knows what comfort is hidden from their
eyes as a reward for what they have been doing.

* Is someone who is a believer like someone who has been acting immorally"?
They are not on the same footing! * Those who believe and perform honorable
deeds will have gardens with living quarters to relax in because of what they
have been doing. ** Those who have been immoral will have the Fire as their
lodging; every time they may want to leave it, they will be returned to it. They
will be told: "Taste the torment of the Fire which you have been denying!"

* Still We shall let them taste worldly torment rather than supreme torment,
so they may yet turn back. * Who is more in the wrong than someone who has been
reminded of his Lord's signs, then shuns them? We shall be Avenged on criminals!

(III) *We gave Moses the Book, so do not be in any doubt about
meeting it. We granted it to the Children of Israel for guidance. * We even set
some of them up as leaders to guide [people] at Our command, once they were
patient and convinced about Our signs. ** Your Lord will sort them out on
Resurrection Day concerning whatever they have been differing over.

* Does it not guide them [when they notice] how many generations We have
wiped out before them whose dwellings they now walk around in? That contains
signs, so will they not listen? * Have they not seen how We drive along water
for the parched earth and bring forth crops with it so your livestock and they
themselves may eat by means of it? Will they not observe?

* They say: "When will this victory be if you are so truthful?" * SAY: "On
the day of victory their [profession of] faith will not benefit those who have
disbelieved, nor will they be allowed to wait. ** Shun them and wait; they will
be waiting too!"

33. The Coalition (The [Combined] Forces)

THIS SLIGHTLY longer chapter was revealed after The House ofImran 3 and before Examining Her 60. It contains 73
verses arranged in nine sections, all of which were revealed in Madina. This
thus represents a break in the diminishing sequence of chapters.

The Jews and pagan Arabs around Madina had risen 10,000 strong in a
conspiracy directed against the nascent Islamic state at this point (the year 5
/ 626-7), and the chapter bears witness to the difficulties existent in this
developing society. The troubles which Muhammad faced in Madina in the year 5 /
626-7 were different from the ones he had met with in Mecca. We hear graphic
portrayals of meddlers and slackers who, for instance, gave rise to recruiting
and defence problems (it). Salman the Persian had a trench dug so the Madinese
could withstand a siege. Following this success, the Prophet began to achieve
the hegemony of Arabia and control over the trade routes to Syria.

The Prophet's wives appear again (IV &VI), plus rules for divorce (VI)
and modesty (VIII). There is also a section on protocol in connection with
affairs of state (VII). The chapter ends with a statement on the philosophy of
history (VIII) plus a vivid picture of how God's trust was offered to the
mountains, but they were prudent enough to reject it (IX).

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) *0 Prophet, heed God and do not obey disbelievers and hypocrites. God is
Aware, Wise. * Follow whatever you are inspired with by your Lord; God is
Informed about what you (all) are doing. * Rely on God; God suffices as a
Trustee.

* God has not placed two hearts in any man's body. Nor has He granted you
wives whom you may back away from, to act as your mothers, nor has He granted
your adopted sons to be your own sons. That is your own statement made by your
own mouths. God states the Truth and He guides one along the Way. ** Call them
after their own fathers; it is fairer so far as God is concerned. If you do not
know who their fathers were, then [call them] your brothers in religion
and your wards.

What you may have slipped up on already will not be held against you, but
only something your hearts have done intentionally. Yet God is Forgiving,
Merciful.

* The Prophet is closer to believers than even they themselves are, and his
wives are [like] their mothers. Yet blood relatives are closer to one another in
God's book than are believers and the Refugees, except that you should act in a
proper manner towards your wards. That has been underlined in the Book.

* When We made an agreement with the prophets, with you and with Noah,
Abraham, Moses and Jesus the son of Mary, We pledged a solemn agreement with
them * so He might question sincere persons concerning their sincerity. He has
prepared painful torment for disbelievers!

Divine Intervention

(II)*You who believe, remember God's favor upon you when the armies
charged at you! We sent a wind and even armies you did not see against them. God
was Observant of what you were doing, ** as they came at you both from above you
and from below you, and your eyesight faltered and your hearts leaped up into
your throats, and you entertained certain thoughts about God; there believers
were tested and severely shaken as if in an earthquake. Thus hypocrites and
those whose hearts contain malice said: "God and His messenger have only
promised us something to lure us on."

Recruiting Problems

* So when a faction of them said: "O people of Yathrib, there is no room for
you, so return!", a group of them took leave of the Prophet, saying: "Our houses
lie exposed." They were not defenceless; they merely wanted to run away. * If a
raid had been made on them from [all] its quarters, then they had been asked to
rise up in dissension, they would have done so and yet not lasted very long. **
Still they had already pledged to God that they would not turn their backs! Any
oath [made] to God will be asked about.

* SAY: "Fleeing will never help you: if you should flee from death or
slaughter, then you will still enjoy (life) only briefly." * SAY: "Who is there
to shield you from God if He should want any ill for you or wants mercy for
you?" They will find they have no patron nor any supporter besides God.

* God knows the meddlers among you and the ones telling their brethren: "Come
over to our side!" They only take part in conflict for a little while, *
skimping towards you (all). Whenever fear comes over them, you will see them
looking at you, their eyes rolling around like someone whom death has almost
seized. Once fear leaves them. they will lash out at you (all) with [their]
sharp tongues, yet skimping about [doing] any good. Those persons do not
believe, so God has foiled their actions. That is so easy for God [to do]. **
They reckon the Coalition will not go away. If the Coalition
should come [again], they would like to be wandering around far away among
the [desert] Arabs, asking for news about you. Yet even if they were among you,
they would only fighta little.

(III)*In God's messenger you have a fine model for someone who looks
forward to [meeting] God and the Last Day, and mentions God frequently. * When
believers saw the Coalition, they said: 'This is what God and His
messenger have promised us. God and His messenger have told the truth." It
merely increased them in faith and submission. * Some believers are men who are
sincere in what they pledge to God, while others have already fulfilled their
mortal duty, and still others are waiting [their chance]; they have not changed
in the least, * so God may reward the truthful for their truthfulness and punish
hypocrites if He so wishes, or else relent towards them. God is Forgiving,
Merciful.

** God sent the ones who disbelieved back in their fury; they did not
accomplish any good. God spares believers the trouble of fighting; God is
Strong, Powerful! * He has tossed some People of the Book who had backed them
up, out of their strongholds and cast panic into their hearts; one group you
killed while you captured another group. * He let you inherit their land, their
homes and their property, plus a land you have not yet set foot on. God is
Capable of everything!

The Prophet's Wives

(IV) * 0Prophet, tell your wives: "If you are wanting worldly life
and its attraction, then come on! I'll let you enjoy them and dismiss you in a
handsome fashion. * However if you have been wanting [to see] God and His
messenger, as well as having a home in the Hereafter, well God has prepared
splendid payment for the kindly women among you. ** 0 wives of the Prophet,
anyone of you who commits some flagrant act of misconduct shall have [her]
punishment doubled twice over. That is easy for God [to do].

PART TWENTY-TWO

(IVcontd) * "Yet We will give any of you who is devoted to God and
His messenger, and acts honorably, her earnings twice over. We have reserved a
generous provision for her. * 0 wives of the Prophet, you are not like any other
women! If you do your duty, then do not act too deferential while talking [to
others] lest someone whose heart contains malice may thereby be encouraged.
Employ suitable speech. * Remain in your homes and do not dress up fancily the
way they used to dress during [the time of] primitive Ignorance. Keep up prayer
and pay the welfare tax, and obey God and His messenger. God merely wants to
remove any blight from you [since you are] People of the [Prophet's] House, and
to cleanse you thoroughly. * Remember any of God's verses and wisdom which are
recited in your homes. God is Gracious, Informed."

(v) ** Muslim men and Muslim women, believing men and believing women, devout
men and devout women, truthful men and truthful women, patient men and patient
women, reverent men and reverent women, charitable men and charitable women,
fasting men and fasting women, and men who safeguard their private parts and
women who safeguard [theirs], and men who remember God often and women who
remember [Him]-for [all of] them God has prepared forgiveness and a splendid
wage.

* No believing man nor any believing woman should exercise any choice in
their affair once God and His messenger have decided upon some matter. Anyone
who disobeys God and His messenger has wandered off into manifest error.

* Thus you told someone whom God had favored and whom you yourself have
favored: "Hold on to your wife, and heed God," while you kept to yourself what
God had disclosed and you dreaded people['s opinion], although it is more
correct for you to dread God. Once Zayd had accomplished his purpose with her,
We married her off to you so that there would be no objection for believers in
respect to their adopted son's wives once they have accomplished their purpose
with them. God's command must be done! * The Prophet is not to be reproached for
[doing] what God has stipulated for him to do. God's practice has been such with
those who have passed on already-God's command is a pre-ordained decree* for
those who transmit God's messages and dread him, while they donot
dread anyone else than God. God suffices as a Reckoner.

Muhammad the Last Prophet

** Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but [he is]God's
messenger and the Seal of the Prophets. God is Aware of
everything!

Piety

(VI)* You who believe, remember God often. * Celebrate him morning and
evening; * He is the One Who accepts prayers from you, as do His angels, to lead
you out of darkness into Light. He is Merciful with believers. * Their greeting
on the day they meet Him will be: "Peace!" He has prepared generous payment for
them.

** 0 Prophet, We have sent you as a witness, herald and warner, * and as
someone who invites people to [know] God by His permission, and as a shining
lamp. * Proclaim to believers how they will have great bounty from God.

Do not obey disbelievers and hypocrites, Disregard their annoyance and rely
on God: God suffices as a Trustee.

Divorce

* You who believe, whenever you marry believing women, and then divorce them
before you have touched them, you have no number [of months] to count in their
case. Provide for them and release them in a handsome manner.

Muhammad's Wives (again)

** 0 Prophet, We have permitted you [to deal with] your wives whom you have
given their allotments to, and anyone your right hands control from what God has
furnished you [as captives], and your paternal uncles' and aunts' daughters, and
your maternal uncles' and aunts' daughters who have migrated along with you, and
any believing woman who bestows herself upon the Prophet, provided the Prophet
wants to marry her; such is exclusively for you and not for [other] believers.
We know what We have stipulated for them concerning their wives and anyone their
right hands control, so it will not be held against you. God is Forgiving,
Merciful.

* You may make any one of them you wish wait, and let any one you wish
approach you. It will not be held against you concerning anyone you may desire
among those whom you have set aside. That is more suitable so that you may
comfort them and they will not be saddened, and [instead] pleased with anything
you may give them all. God knows what is in your hearts; God is Aware, Lenient.

* No [other] women will be lawful for you later on nor may you exchange them
for other wives, even though their beauty may entice you, except for someone
your right hand controls. God is an Observer over everything.

Etiquette; Affairs of State

(VII) * You who believe, do not enter the Prophet's [private] quarters unless
an invitation has been extended to you for a meal, though still without watching
how it is prepared. However once you have been invited, then go on in; and once
you have been fed, then disperse, not indulging in conversation. That has been
disturbing the Prophet and he feels ashamed [to tell] you so. Yet God is not
ashamed [to raise] the Truth.

Whenever you ask (his wives) for any object, ask them for it from behind a
curtain. That will be purer for your hearts as well as for their hearts. It is
not proper for you to annoy God's messenger, nor ever to marry his wives after
him; that would be serious with God! * Whether you reveal anything or hide it,
God is Aware of everything.

** There is no objection to their [appearing before] their fathers, their
sons nor their brothers, nor their brothers' and sisters' sons, nor their own
womenfolk, nor anyone their right hands control. Heed God (you women); God is a
Witness for everything!

On Greeting the Prophet

* God and His angels accept prayers for the Prophet. You who believe, pray
for him (too) and greet him properly. * God will curse those who [try
to] annoy God and His messenger in this world and the Hereafter, and will
prepare shameful torment for them. * Those who annoy believing men and believing
women without their having deserved it, will assume [the guilt of] slander and
[commit] a clear offence against themselves.

Rules for Modesty

(VIII) * 0Prophet, tell your wives and daughters, and believers'
wives as well, to draw their cloaks close around themselves. That is more
appropriate so they may be recognized and not molested. God is Forgiving,
Merciful. ** If hypocrites and those whose hearts contain malice do not stop, as
well as the agitators in Madina, We shall stir you up against them. Then they
will live alongside you as neighbors for only a little while [longer]; * cursed
wherever they are encountered, they will be seized and completely routed. *
[Such is] God's practice with those who have passed on before; you will never
find any change in God's practice.

Philosphy of History

* People will ask you about the Hour. SAY: "Knowledge about it rests only
with God." What will make you realize that perhaps the Hour is near! * God will
curse disbelievers and prepare a Blaze for them ** to remain in for ever. They
will not find any patron nor supporter; * on a day when their faces will be
twisted by the Fire, they will say: "If we had only obeyed God and obeyed the
Messenger!" * They will (also) say: "Our Lord, we have obeyed our superiors and
our great men, and they led us off from the Way. * Our Lord, give them double
torment and curse them with a great curse!"

(IX) *You who believe, do not be like those who abused Moses. cleared
him of what they said. He became outstanding with God. ** who believe, heed God
and speak straight to the point; * He will improve your actions for you and
forgive you your sins. Anyone who obeys God and His messenger will achieve a
splendid Triumph.

God's Trust; The Human Dilemma

* We offered the trust to Heaven and Earth, and to the mountains too,
yet they refused to carry it, and shrank back from it.However man
accepted it:he has been unfair [to himself], ignorant!

* Still God will punish hypocritical men and hypocritical women and
associating men and associating women. However God relents with believing men
and believing women. God is Forgiving, Merciful!

34. Sheba

THIS CHAPTER comes after Luqmin 31 and before Throngs 39 in the
chronological order of revelation. It consists of 54 Meccan verses arranged in
six sections; only v.6 dates from later in Madina. This also marks the first of
six chapters in a new series.

It begins with an exordium on God's omniscience. Then the message warns
against the effects of luxury and of associating others in our pure worship of
God (III). It also recounts the story of King David, his wise son Solomon, and
their war against Sheba (II), which lay in Yaman far to the south of the Hijaz.
It ends with a vivid picture of how knowledge must be pursued carefully (VI).

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

A Doxology

(I)*Praise be to God, Who holds whatever is in Heaven and
whatever is on Earth! Praise will be His in the Hereafter; he is the
Wise, the Informed.

God's Knowledge

* He knows what penetrates the earth and what issues from it, and
what falls down from the sky and what soars up into it.He is the
Merciful, the Forgiving.

* Those who disbelieve say: "The Hour will not come upon us!" SAY: "Of
course, by my Lord, it will come to you through the Knower of the Unseen." No
atom's weight in either Heaven nor on Earth nor anything less than that nor
larger ever escapes Him, unless it is in a clear Book, * so He may reward the
ones who believe and perform honorable deeds. Those will have forgiveness and
generous provision, ** while the ones who work against Our signs in order to
defeat them will have painful torment from a blight.

* Those who have been given knowledge see that what has been sent down to you
from your Lord is the Truth, and guides [us] along the Road to the Powerful, the
Praiseworthy; * while those who disbelieve say: "Shall we introduce you to a man
who will notify you, once you have been utterly torn to pieces, that you will
[reappear] in some fresh creation?

* Has he invented a lie about God or has he some sprite within
him?"Rather the ones who do not believe in the Hereafter will be in torment
and extreme error. * Have they not considered whatever lies before them from the
sky and earth, and what is behind them? If We wished, We would let the earth
swallow them up or a patch of sky drop down on them. In that is a sign for every
penitent servant.

David

(II)** We gave David bounty from Ourself: "O mountains, echo back [God's
praises] along with him! And [so may] the birds." We softened iron for him: *
"Make suits of armor and measure out the links in mail, and act honorably; I am
Observant of anything you do."

Solomon

* Solomon possessed the wind; it would blow for a month in one direction and
then blow back for [another] month. We melted down a font of brass for him.
There were some sprites who worked in front of him by his Lord's permission, and
We let any of them who wavered from Our command taste torment from the Blaze. *
They worked away for him just as he wished on shrines and images, bowls as big
as troughs and built-in cauldrons: "Give thanks, 0 House of David!" Yet few of
My servants are grateful.

* When We determined he should die, nothing indicated his death to them
except a worm from the earth which was eating away at his cane. When he fell
down, the sprites realized clearly that if they had known the Unseen, they would
not have had to continue in such humiliating torment.

Sheba Itself

** There had been a sign for Sheba in their dwelling: two
gardens, to the right and left: "Eat some of your Lord's provision and thank
Him. Such a good land and forgiving Lord!"

* They spurned [it], so We sent a torrent from the dam upon them, and We
changed both their gardens for them into two gardens yielding bitter food,
tamarisk and a very few hawthorns. * That is how We rewarded them for the way
they disbelieved. Should We reward only the ungrateful person?

* We placed towns in plain view between them and the towns which We had
blessed, and We measured out travel between them: "Travel safely between them by
night and day." * They said: "Our Lord, lengthen the distance between our
stops!" They wronged themselves so We turned them into legends; We scattered
them into every [possible] fragment. In that are signs for every patient,
grateful person. ** Diabolis proved his idea was sound about them: they (all)
followed him except for a group of believers. * Yet he held no authority over
them, except so We might distinguish someone who believes in the Hereafter from
someone who is in any uncertainty about it. Your Lord acts as an Overseer for
everything.

Intercession is Useless

(III) * SAY: "Appeal to those whom you claim to instead of to God; they do
not control even an atom's weight in either Heaven nor on Earth." They have no
share in either, nor has He any backer among them. * Intercession does not
benefit anyone so far as He is concerned except for someone He grants it to,
until when [panic] is driven from their hearts, they say: "What did your Lord
say?" They will say: "The Truth!" He is the Sublime, the Great!

Individual Responsibility

* SAY: "Who provides for you out of Heaven and Earth?" SAY: "God [Alone]."
Are either we or you closer to guidance, or else in obvious error?" ** SAY: "You
will not be questioned about what we have perpetrated nor shall we be questioned
about what you have done." * SAY: "Our Lord will gather us in together; then
things will be opened up in all Truth for us. He is the Opener, the Aware."

The Universal Message

* SAY: "Show me the ones you have connected with Him as associates. It cannot
be; rather He is God, the Powerful, the Wise." * We have not sent you [Muhammad]
except as a newsbearer and warner to every single human being, even though most
men do not realize it, and they say: "When will this promise be if you (all)
have been so truthful?" ** SAY: "You hold an appointment for a day which will be
neither postponed nor advanced by so much as an hour."

(IV)* Those who disbelieve say: "We'll never believe in this Reading nor in
the one which (came] before it." If you could only see how, when wrongdoers are
stationed before their Lord, they will toss the statement back and forth at one
another. Those who had been despised as weaklings will tell those who acted
overbearing: "If it were not for you, we'd be believers."

* Those who were overbearing will tell those who acted like weaklings: "Did
we block you off from guidance once it came to you? Rather you yourselves were
guilty!" * Those who had been despised will tell those who were overbearing:
"Rather there was plotting night and day when you ordered us to disbelieve in
God and we set up rivals to him." They will conceal their regret once they see
the torment; We will place fetters around the necks of those who disbelieve.
Will they not be rewarded for just what they have been doing?

* We have sent no town a warner unless its high-livers said: "Weare
disbelievers in what you have been sent with." ** They say: "We have more wealth
and children, and will not be tormented!" * SAY:"My Lord extends
sustenance to anyone He wishes and budgets it, even though most men do not
realize it."

(V) * It is not your wealth nor your children that will bring you close to Us
in patronage; only someone who believes and acts honorably (will do so). Those
will have a double reward because of what they have done. They will feel secure
in mansions * while those who were attempting to thwart 0ur signs will be
paraded forth into torment.

* SAY:"My Lord extends sustenance to anyone He wishes among His
servants and He budgets it out. He will compensate you for anything you have
spent since He is the best Provider." ** Some day He will summon them all
together; then He will say to the angels: "Are those the ones who were
worshipping you?" * They will say: "Glory be to You! You are our Patron rather
than they. Instead they have been worshipping sprites; most of them even believe
in them!"

Ancestor Worship is Wrong

* Some day when some of them will not control any advantage nor harm for
others, We will tell those who have done wrong: "Taste the torment of Fire which
you have been denying!" * When Our clear verses are recited to them, they will
say: "This is only a man who wants to discourage you from [worshipping] what
your forefathers have been worshipping." They will say: "This is only some
invented sham." Those who disbelieve will say about Truth, once it comes to
them: "This is nothing but sheer magic!"

* We did not bring them any books to study from nor send them any warner
before you. ** Those who [lived] before them denied it and did not achieve a
tenth of what We gave them. They even rejected My messengers, so [imagine] how
[real] was My disgust!

(VI) * SAY: "I preach only one thing to you: that you stand up in pairs or
singly for God; then consider how there is no madness in your companion. He is
only a warner [sent] to you in the face of stern torment."

* SAY:"What I ask you in payment is merely something for yourselves.
My own payment lies only up to God; He is a Witness for everything."

** SAY: "If I have strayed, I have only led myself astray; while if I have
been guided, then it is because of what my Lord has inspired in me. He is Alert,
so Near!"

The Pursuit of Faith

* If you could see when they are startled and there is no escape, and they
are seized from a place near at hand, * how they will say: "We believe in it!"
Yet have they any way to snatch it up at such a distance? * They have already
disbelieved in it, and aimed at [knowing] the Unseen from a distance. *
Something will intervene between them and whatever they crave to have, just as
was done with their [different] sects long before. They have [lived] in such
suspicious doubt!

35. Originator (The Angels)

THESE FORTY-FIVE verses are arranged in five sections; they were revealed
after The Standard 25 and before Mary 19. The chapter bears two
titles, Originator, as well as The Angels; both words appear in
verse 1. It is a late Meccan revelation.

This chapter contains a statement concerning the futility of intercession
(III), as well as comfort for the Prophet in his role as a warner. 'Fresh and
Salt Water" (or "The Two Seas") is a parable also set in this chapter (II).

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * Praise be to God, Originator of Heaven and Earth, Who appoints
the Angels as winged messengers in pairs, and in threes and fours. He
increases anything He wishes through creation; God is Capable of everything! *
There is no withholding any mercy that God may open up for mankind; while
neither is there any [means of] sending anything later on once He has withheld
it. He is the Powerful, the Wise.

* Mankind, remember God's favor towards you. Is there any creator besides God
who provides for you out of the sky and earth? There is no deity except Him; yet
you shrug Him off! * If they should reject you, well, messengers before you have
already been rejected. To God are matters referred.

** Mankind, God's promise is true; do not let worldly life lure you on nor
let the Deceiver deceive you concerning God. * Satan is an enemy of yours, so
treat him as an enemy: he only calls his party to become inmates of the Blaze. *
Those who disbelieve will have severe punishment while those who believe and act
honorably will have forgiveness and great earnings.

(II) * Does anyone exist whose evil action seems so attractive to him
that he regards it as fine? God lets anyone He wishes go astray while He guides
whomever He wishes. Do not let yourself go around pitying them; God is Aware of
what they are producing.

God's Role

* God is the One Who sends the winds to blow the clouds along. We drive them
on to a dead land, and revive the earth by means of them after it has died. Such
is regeneration. ** For anyone who has been wanting glory, God holds all glory:
towards Him do wholesome words ascend while honorable action He exalts. Those
who plot evil deeds will have severe punishment while their very plotting will
collapse. * God has created you from dust, then from a drop of semen; then He
divided you into couples. No female conceives nor gives birth unless He knows
it. No elderly person grows even older nor has anything shortened from his life
unless it is [written down] in some book. That is easy for God [to do]!

Fresh and Salt Water ("The Two Seas")

* Both seas are not alike: this one is sweet, fresh, refreshing to
drink, while the other is salty, briny. From each you cat fresh meat and extract
jewelry you wear. You see ships sailing along on it so you may seek His bounty
and so that you may feel thankful.

False Gods are Futile

* He wraps night up into daytime and wraps daytime up in night, and regulates
the sun and moon; each runs along on a stated course. Such is God, your Lord!
Control belongs to Him; while the ones whom you appeal to instead of Him do not
control a wisp. * If you should appealto them, they will not hear your
appeal; while even though they heard it, they would not respond to you. On
Resurrection Day they will disown your associating [them with God]. No one
notifies you in the way that someone Who is Informed does.

Intercession is Void

(III) **Mankind, you are so poor as far as God is concerned, while
God is Transcendent, Praiseworthy. * If He so wished, He could take you away and
bring some fresh creation; * that would not be impossible for God to do. * No
burdened [soul] may bear another's burden: if some overladen soul should
call out for someone else to carry his load, no one would bear any part of it
even though he were a near relative. You can only warn those who dread their
Lord although [He is] Unseen, and keep up prayer. Anyone who purifies himself,
only purifies his own soul. Towards God should lie one's goal.

Dualities

* The blind and the sighted are not equal, ** nor are darkness and light,
* nor a shady nook and a heatwave. * The living and the dead are not
alike. God lets anyone He wishes listen, while you will not make those
in their graves hear.

* You are nothing but a warner;*We have sent you as an announcer
and a warner about the Truth. No nation exists unless some warnerhas passed among them.

**Yet if they should reject you, well the ones before them rejected [their
messengers too]; their messengers brought them explanations, the Psalms, and an
enlightening Book. * Then I seized the ones who disbelieved. How great was My
displeasure!

Differences in Race and Color

(IV) *Have you not seen how God sends water down from the sky? We
produce different colored fruits with it. From the mountains come white and red
marbling in different shades as well as black obsidian. * Some men, wild beasts
and livestock are of different colors as well. Yet only His learned servants
dread God [Alone], even though God is Powerful, Forgiving.

* The ones who recite God's book, keep up prayer and spend something both
secretly and publicly from whatever He has provided for them, can hope for a
business which will never slacken, ** so He may repay them their earnings and
grant them even more out of His bounty. He is Forgiving, Appreciative.

* What We have revealed to you from the Book is the Truth confirming what has
preceded it. God is Informed, Observant concerning His servants. * Then We allow
some of Our servants whom We have singled out to inherit the Book. One of them
may harm his own soul while another is lukewarm, and still another vies in
performing good deeds with God's permission.

Paradise

It [will mean] great bounty: * gardens of Eden will they enter. They will be
allowed to wear gold and pearl bracelets there while their clothing will be
[made of] silk. * They will say: "Praise be to God Who has lifted sadness from
us! Our Lord is Forgiving, Appreciative, ** the One Who has settled us in the
Everlasting Home because of His bounty. No toil will ever touch us there nor
will any weariness affect us in it."

Disbelievers in Hell

* The ones who disbelieved will have Hell fire. It will be neither finished
off for them so that they may [really] die; nor will its torment be lightened
for them. Thus We reward every ingrate. * They will scream away in it: "Our
Lord, take us out! We'll act honorably, so differently from the way we have been
acting!"

Did We not let you live on and on so anyone who bears things in mind might
remember (them) during its course? The Warner came to you. So have a taste!
Wrongdoers will have no supporter.

(V) * God is the One Who knows the Unseen in both Heaven and Earth. He is
Aware of whatever is on your minds. * He is the One Who has set you up as [His]
representatives on earth. Anyone who disbelieves is responsible for his own
disbelief. Their disbelief merely increases disbelievers in loathing towards
their Lord; their disbelief involves disbelievers in even greater loss.

Association

** SAY: "Have you ever seen your associates whom you appeal to instead of to
God? Show me what part of earth they have created. Have they any partnership in
Heaven? Or have We given them a book? Have they come upon any explanation from
it? Rather wrongdoers merely promise one another delusion.

* God grasps both Heaven and Earth lest either one should slip out of place.
If either should slip out of place, no one else would hold on to them besides
Him. God is Lenient, Forgiving.

* They have sworn before God by their most solemn oaths that if a warner
should ever come to them,they would be better guided than any other
nation. Yet whenever a warner has come to them, it only increased their aversion
* because of how proud they had acted on earth and plotted evil. Plotting evil
engulfs the people who practise it.

Philosophy of History

Are they only waiting for what happened to primitive people? Yet youwill never find any change in God's practice, nor will you ever
find any substitute for God's practice. * Have they not travelled around the
earth and observed how the outcome went for those who preceded them? They were
much stronger than they are.

God will not be thwarted by anything in Heaven nor on Earth; He is Aware,
Capable. ** If God should take mankind to task for whatever they have been
earning, He would not leave any creature on its surface; but He puts them off
for a specific period. Once their deadline comes, God will indeed be Observant
of His servants.

36. Ya-Sin (Y.S.)

THIS CHAPTER is often called the "Heart" of the Quran
and sometimes it bears the alternate title of The Sprites. It is
frequently read for solace in times of stress such as one faces with deathe or
illness. It is traditionally recited at funreals.

The entire chapter consists of five sections with 83 middle Meccan verses,
all except for v. 45 which dates from Madina. It was revealed just before The
Standard 25. The full name of the initials occuring in the title is said to
stand for "Ya-insan!" OR "O Man!", or "Everyman", but these letters have
become traditional and like those of another title Ta-Ha 20, are now a
common man's name.

"The Town Which Was Warned" (II) and "The Last Trumpet" (III) are two
parables contained in it. Towards the end of the chapter is an apocalyptic
description of how the world will end.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * Y. S.

* By the Wise Reading, * you are an emissary * [sent] along a Straight Road
** with arevelation from the Powerful, the Merciful, * so you may warn a folk
whose forefathers have not been warned, and hence they are unaware.

Fate and Destiny

* The statement has been proven to be true about most of them, yet they still
will not believe. * We have placed fettes around their necks which reach up to
their chins till they seem to be out of joint. * We have placed a barrier before
them and another barrier behind them, and have covered them up so they do not
notice anything.

** It is all the same for them whether you warn them or do not warn them;
they still will not believe. * You will only warn someone who follows the
Reminder and dreads the Mercy-giving even though He is Unseen. Proclaim
forgiveness and generous payment to him. * We revive the dead and write down
whatever they have sent on ahead and [left] as traces; We calculate everythin in
an open ledger.

The Town Which Was Warned

(II) * Compose a parable for them about the inhabitants of the town when
emissaries came to them. * When We sent them two, they rejected them both, so We
reinforced them with a third. They said; "You are only human beings like
ourselves. The Mercy-giving has net sent anything down; you are only lying!" *
They said: "Our Lord knows that we have been [sent] to you as emmissaries. * We
have only to proclaim things clearly."

* They said: "We sense something unlucky about you; so if you will not stop,
we'll expel you, and painful torment from us will afflict you." * They said:
"The bad luck you sense lies within yourselves. Will you not be reminded? Indeed
you are such dissipated folk!"

** A man came hurrying up from the further end of the city. he said: "O my
people, follow the emissaries! * Follow someone who does not ask for any payment
while they are being guided."

PART TWENTY-THREE

(II cont'd) * Why should I worship the One Who fashioned me and to Whom you
will (all) return? * Should I adopt other gods instead of Him? If the
Mercy-giving should want any harm [to happen] to me, their intercession would
never help me out in any way nor would they rescue me: * I'd then be completely
lost! ** I believe in your Lord, so hear me!"

* He was told: "Enter the Garden." He said: "If my people only knew * how my
Lord has forgiven me and placed me among the honored ones!"

* We did not send any army down from Heaven to his folk after him, nor do We
ever send any down. * There was only a single Blast, and imagine, they [lay]
shrivelled up! ** What a pity it is with such worshippers! No messenger has ever
come to them unless they made fun of him. * Have they not seen how many
generations We have wiped out before them who will never return to them? * Each
will be arraigned so they all stand before Us.

God's Signs

(III) * The dead earth serves as a sign for them; We reveve it and bring
forth grain from it which they may eat. * We have placed date groves and
vineyards on it, and make springs flow forth from it ** so they may eat its
fruit. Their own hands did not produce it. So, will they not give thanks? *
Glory be to the One Who has created every kind of species such as the earth
grows, their own kind, and even some things they do not know!

* Another sign for them is night; We strip daylight off from it so they are
pluged into darkness! * The sun runs along on a course of its own. Such is the
designof the Powerful, the Aware! * And We have designed phases for the moon so
it finally appears again like an old palm frond. ** The sun dare not overtake
the moon nor does night outpace the day. Each floats along in its own orbit.

* Another for them is how We transported their offspring on the laden ship. *
We fave created something like it for them on which they must sail. * If We
wished, We might even let them drown and they would have no one tho cry out to,
nor would they be rescued * except as a mercy from Us and to enjoy things for a
wile.

** When they are told: "Heed what lies in front of you and what's behind you
so that you may find mercy," * not ont of their Lord's signs has come to them
except they tried to avoid it. * When they are (also) told: "Spend something God
has provided you with," the ones who disbelieve tell those who believe: "Should
we feed someone whom God would feed if He so wishes? You are quite obviously in
error!"

The Last Trumpet

*They say: "When will this promise occur if you are so truthful?" * They need
only wait for a single Blast to catch them while they are arguing away. ** They
will not even manage to draw up a will, nor will they return to their own
people.

(IV) * The Trumpet will be blow and then they will swarm forth from their
tombs to meet their Lord. * They will say: "It's too bad for us! Whoefer has
raised us up from our sleeping quarters? This is what the Mercy-giving promised;
the emissaries have been telling the truth."

Paradise

* There will be only a single Blast and then they will all be assembled in
Our presence. * On that day no soul will be harmed in any way, and you will be
rewarded only for what you have been doing. ** The inhabitnts of the Garden will
be happily at work of that day. * They and thier spouses will relax on couches
in shady nooks; * they will have fruit and they shall have anything they
request. * "Peace!" will be a greeting from a Merciful Lord.

Satan a Hindrance

* "Step aside today, you criminals! ** Did I not contract you, O children of
Adam, not to serve Satan? He is an open enemy of yours. * And to worship Me
[Alone]! This is a Straight Road. * He has led a numerous mob of you astray.
Havent you been reasoning things out? * This is Hell, which you were threatened
with. * Roast in it today because you have disbelieved!"

** That day We shall seal their mouths up whil their hands will speak to Us
and their feet bear witness about what they have been earning. * If We so
wished, We would put their eyes out so they must grope along the Road. Yet how
will they ever norice [anything]? * If We wished, We would nail them to the spot
so they would not manage to keep on going nor would they ever return.

(V) * Anyone We grant long life to, We switch around within creation. Will
theynot use their reason?

Muhammad no Poet

*We have not taught him any poetry nor would it be fitting for him. It is
merely a Reminder and a clear Reading ** so he may warn anyone who is alive and
the Sentence may be confirmed against disbelievers.

* Have they not considered how We have created livestock for them out of what
Our own hands have made, and they are masters over them? * We let them tame
them: some of them are to be ridden, while others they eat; * they recieve
benefits and drinks from them. Will they not act grateful?

* Yet they have adopted [other] gods instead of God [Alone, so that they may
be supported. ** They still cannot achieve their support; yet they stand up for
them like an army in thier prescence! * Do not let their statemant sadden you;
We know what they are keeping secret and what they are disclosing.

* Has not man considered how We created him from a drop of semen? Yet he is
an open adversary! * He makes something up to be compared with Us and forgets
how he was created. He even says: "Who will revive [our] bones once they have
rotted away?"

*SAY: "The One Who raised them up in the first place will revive them. He is
Awware of all creation, ** the One Who grants you fire from green trees. Notice
how you kindle a fire for them. * Is not Whoever created Heaven and Earth Able
to create the same as them?"

Of course [He is]! He is the Creator, the Aware. * Once He wishes anything,
His command only needs to tell it: "Be"; and it is!

* Glory be to Him Whose handholds sovereignty over everything!To Him
will you return.

37. (Drawn Up In) Ranks

THIS CHAPTER contains five long sections arranged in 182 Meccan verses. It
was revealed after the chapter on Livestock 6 and before Luqman
31.

Here we find a vivid description of what men can expect to meet after
Doomsday (I): eternal bliss, or the Infernal Tree (II). We also hear the story
of several prophets in rapid narrative: Noah, Abraham and Isaac (III): Moses,
Aaron, Elijah and Lot (IV); and finally Jonah (V), each summed up by a unifying
refrain: "Thus We reward those who act kindly..."

The angels "drawn up in ranks" finally speak out in v. 165, and we are
told at the very end that God is not a father (V). The word Jahimis used rather consistently for 'Hades', and not Jahannim or
'Hell', in an alliterative effect. The whole chapter provides a very moving
picture.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) *As the Ranks are drawn up,*rebuking with
restraint * and reciting a Reminder, * your God is One [Alone], **
Lord of Heaven and Earth and whatever lies between them, plus Lord of
the Eastern parts!

* We have beautified the worldly sky with the splendor of stars *
plus a safeguard against every stubborn devil so they may not listen to the
supreme council and are hurled forth on every side.Driven away, they
will have lingering torment except for someone who tries to eavesdrop so
that a blazing meteor follows him.

* Ask their opinion whether they or someone We created have been created
stronger. We created them from sticky clay. * Rather you have been surprised as
they sneered; * yet whenever they are reminded, they do not recall anything. *
Whenever they see some sign, they make fun of it ** and say: "This is just sheer
magic! * When we have died and become dust and bones, will we be raised up
again? * Along with our earliest forefathers.

Doomsday

* SAY: "Yes, and you yourselves abashed." * There will only be a single
rebuke and then, they shall see! ** They will say: 'How awful it is for us; this
is the Day for Repayment! * This is the day for sorting things out which you
have been denying."

The Road to Hades

(II) *Summon the ones who have done wrong plus their spouses, and anything
they have been worshipping * instead of God; lead them along the road towards
Hades. * Stop them! They must be questioned: "What's wrong with you that you do
not support each other?"

* Rather today they are surrendering. * Some of them will step forth to
question one another. * They will say: "You used to come at us from the right."
* They will say: "Rather, you were not believers! ** We have no authority over
you. Instead you have been such arrogant folk. * Our Lord's sentence has been
confirmed against us; we are indeed tasting it! * We lured you on, we were
seducers."

*They will become partners in torment on that day. * Thus We deal with
criminals! ** They have acted so proudly whenever: "There is no deity except
God [Alone]" was said to them, * and they were saying: 'Should we
abandon our gods for a crazy poet?" * Rather he has brought the Truth and
vouches for the emissaries.

Bliss

* Yet you will taste painful torment * and only be rewarded for what you have
been doing, ** except for God's sincere servants. * Those will have an
acknowledged provision * of fruit, and will be honored * in gardens of Bliss
facing one another on couches. ** A cup will he passed around for them from a
clear spring * [which will be] delicious for anyone who drinks from it! There
will be no hangover from it nor will they feel exhausted by it. With them will
be bashful women whose eyes still sparkle * as if they were hidden [like
hatching] eggs.

** Some of them will step forward to question one another. * Someone among
them will speak up and say: "Once there was a soulmate of mine * who used to
say: 'Have you become convinced? * When wehave, died and become dust and
bones, will we he called to account?" He will say: "Will you (all) just take a
look?"

Hades Again

** "So he did look down and saw he was [standing] in the midst of Hades! He
said: "By God, you have almost ruined me! * If it were not for my Lord's favor,
I'd have been made to appear. *Arent we mortal except for our first death? Will
we not be punished? ** This is the splendid Achievement!'"

The Infernal Tree

* For such as this let workers toil. * Is that a better welcome or is the
Infernal Tree? * We have placed it as a trial for wrongdoers. * It is a tree
that rises from the depths of Hades. ** Its cluster [of fruit] looks like
devils' heads; * they will eat some of it and filltheir stomachs wit it.
* Then on top of it, they will have a concoction made from bathwater [to drink].

* Then their return must be to Hades. * They discovered their forefathers had
been misled ** and yet they went scurrying along in their footsteps. * Most
primitive men went astray before them, * even though We had sent warners out
among them; * yet see what the outcome was for those who were warned * except
for God's sincere servants.

Noah

(III) **Noah called out to Us, and how favored are those [like him]
who respond! * We saved him and his family from serious grief, * and set his
offspring up as survivors. * We left [mention] of him among later men: "Peace be
upon Noah throughout the Universe!"

** Thus We reward those who act kindly: * he was one of Our believing
servants.

Abraham

* Then We let the rest drown.

* To his sect belonged Abraham * when he came to his Lord with a sound heart
as he said to his father and his people: "What are you worshipping? Is it some
sham; do you want (other) gods instead of God [Himself]. * What is your opinion
concerning the Lord of the Universe?"

* So he took a glance at the stars * and said: "I feel heartsick!" ** They
turned their backs on him: * so he shifted [his attention] to their (false)
gods, and said: "Dont you eat? * What is wrong with you that you dont utter a
word?" * He aimed a blow at them with his right hand.

* They quickly pounced on him. ** He said: "Do you worship something you have
been carving, * while God created you and whatever you make?" * They said:
"Build him a pyre and cast him into Hades!" * They wanted to plot against him,
so We made them come out on the shorter end of things.

* He said; "I am going away to [meet] my Lord; He will guide me! *** My Lord,
bestow some honorable men on me!" * So We gave him news about an even-tempered
boy.

His Sacrifice

* When [the son] reached the stage of working alongside him, he said: "My
son, I saw in my sleep that I must sacrifice you. Look for whatever you may see
[in it]." He said: "My father, do anything you are ordered to; you will findme to be patient, if God so wishes."

The Supreme Test

When they both had committed themselves peacefully [to God] and he had placed
him face down, * We called out to him: "Abraham, ** you have already confirmed
the dream!" Thus We reward those who act kindly. * This was an obvious test. We
ransomed him by means of a Splendid victim, * and left [him to be mentioned]
among later men: "Peace be upon Abraham!"

** Thus We reward those who act kindly.* He was one of Our believing
servants.

Isaac

* We announced to him that Isaac would become a prophet who was honorable. *
We blessed both him and Isaac; some of their offspring have acted kindly while
others have clearly wronged themselves.

Moses and Aaron

(iv) * We endowed Moses and Aaron ** and saved both them and their people
from serious distress. * We supported them and they became victorious; * and

We gave them both the clarifying Book. * We guided them along the Straight
Road * and left [mention] of them among later men; ** "Peace be upon Moses and
Aaron!"

* Thus We reward those who act kindly.* They were both Our believing
servants.

Elijah

* Elijah was an emissary * when he told his folk: "Will you not do
your duty? ** Do you appeal to Baal and ignore the Best Creator, * God your
Lord, and your earliest forefathers' Lord?" * They rejected him, yet they were
made to appear, * except for God's sincere servants. * We left [mention] of him
among later men: ** "Peace be upon Elijah!"

*Thus We reward those who act kindly;* he was one of Our believing
servants.

Lot

* Lot was an emissary * when We saved him and his entire family ** except for
an old woman who lagged behind. * Then We annihilated the rest; * You still pass
by them in the morning * and at night. Will you not use your reason?

Jonah

(V) * Jonah was an emissary ** when he deserted to the laden ship, * gambled
and was one of those who lost out. * The fish swallowed him while he was still
to blame. * If he had not been someone who glorified [God], * he would have
lingered on in its belly until the day when they will be raised up again. ** We
flung him up on the empty shore and he [felt] heartsick. * We made a gourd tree
grow up over him * and sent him off to a hundred thousand [people] or even more.
* They believed so We let them enjoy themselves for a while.

God is Not a Father

* Ask their opinion as to whether your Lord has daughters while they have
sons; ** or did We create the angels as females while they were looking on? *
Are they not saying something they have trumped up with [the statement that]: *
"God has fathered something!"

Pagans

They are such liars! * Would He select daughters ahead of sons? * What is
wrong with you? How do you make decisions? ** Will you not be reminded? * Or do
you have some clear authority? * Bring on your scripture if you are so truthful!
* They have even placed a tie of kinship between Him and the sprites. Yet the
sprites well know that they too will be made to appear.

* Glory be to God over whatever they describe ** except for God's loyal
servants! * You and anything you serve * cannot incite anyone against Him *
except for someone who will roast in Hades.

* There is none of us but he has an acknowledged status. ** We are drawn
up in ranks. * We are those who glorify [God]. * There were some [people]
saying: "If we only had a reminder from early men * we should have become God's
loyal servants."

** They have disbelieved in Him so they soon shall know! * Our word has
already gone on ahead to Our servants who were sent forth; * they will indeed be
supported. * Our army will be victorious over them! * Turn aside from them for
awhile; ** watch them, for they too will be made to watch.

* Do they seek to hasten Our torment? * Whenever it settles down into their
courtyard, how dismal will be the morning for those who have been forewarned! *
Turn aside from them for a while; * watch, for they too will have to watch.

Deathbed Prayer

** Glory be to your Lord, the Lord of Grandeur, beyond what they
describe! * Peace be on the emissaries! * Praise be to God,Lord of
the Universe!

38. (The Letter) SAD

THIS FIVE-SECTION chapter contains 88 early Meccan verses; it was revealed
after The Moon 54 and before The Heights 7. Its revelation
occurred during a period of intense trial for the Prophet.

The title refers to the unvoiced velarized sibilant, or the letter 's' which
here may stand for as-Sadiq or 'the Truthful [God]' or 'the
friend' (who tells you everything, whether you want to hear it or not); thus it
means our voice of conscience or power of discretion.

One of David's judgments is described in a dramatic manner (II) Solomon then
appears (III); next Job and other prophets (IV). Soon have a description of
Heaven and Hell (IV) and the chapter ends with Diabolis' fall V . Sections
III-IV are somewhat parallel to those of 21:V-VI.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * S.

By the Quran so full of renown!

* Rather those who disbelieve [are toying] with prestige and dissension. *
How many generations have We wiped out before them? They called out, and the
time for escape had lapsed. * They are surprise that a warner should come to
them from among themselves. Disbelievers say: "This is some lying magician! **
Has he made [all] the gods into One God? This is such an amazing thing!"

* The elders among them sound off: "Walk around and be patient concerning
your gods. This is something to be desired. * We have not heard any of this
among any latterday denomination; this is merely a fabrication. * Has a Reminder
been revealed just to him among us?",

Indeed they are in doubt about My reminder; rather they have not yet tasted
any torment! * Or do they have treasures from the mercy of your Lord, the
Powerful, the Bountiful? ** Have they control over Heaven and Earth and whatever
[lies] between them? Let them haul themselves up on ropes. * What a partisan
army will be routed there! Noah's folk and Ad's rejected [Me] before them, and
[so did] Pharaoh who [impaled men] on stakes, and Thamud, Lots folk, and the
inhabitants of the Forest. Those were all partisans; * every last one rejected
the messengers, so My punishment was justified.

David

(II)** Those persons only await a single Blast which will [allow for]
no delay. * They will say: "Our Lord, hasten our doom for us before the Day of
Reckoning!" * Endure what they are saying and remember how Our servant David
commanded assistance; he was attentive [to God]. * We forced the mountains to
glorify [God] with him at evening and sunrise * -and the birds were summoned and
each was [made] attentive to him. ** We strengthened his control and gave him
wisdom and distinction as an orator.

His Judgment

* Has news of the litigants ever reached you, when they climbed over the wall
into the sanctuary? * Thus they burst in upon David so he was startled by them.
They said: "Dont be afraid: [we are] two litigants, one of whom has injured the
other; so judge correctly between us and do not act too stern. Guide us along
the Level Road.

Partnership; Cooperation

* "This is my brother; he has ninety-nine ewes while I have but a single ewe.
He has said: "Turn her over to me," and has spoken harshly to me." * He said:
"He has wronged you by asking for your ewe [to be added] to his own ewes. Many
partners try to take advantage of one another, except for those who believe and
perform honorable deeds. Such are few indeed."

BOW DOWN HERE

David suspected that We were merely testing him, so he sought forgiveness
from his Lord and dropped down on his knees [in worship], and repented.
** So We forgave him that. He enjoys precedence with Us and the finest retreat.
* David, We have placed you as an overlord on earth, so judge among men
correctly and do not follow any whims which will lead you away from God's path.
Those who stray from God's path will have severe torment because they have
forgotten the Day of Reckoning!

(III)* We did not create Heaven and Earth and whatever [lies] in between them
to no purpose. That is the opinion of those who disbelieve. Those who disbelieve
should beware of the Fire! * Shall We treat those who believe and perform
honorable deeds just like mischief-makers on earth? Or should We treat those who
do their duty, like lawbreakers? * We have sent down a Book to you that is
blessed, so prudent men may ponder over its verses and thereby be reminded.

Solomon's Trials

** We bestowed Solomon on David. How favored was such a servant; he was so
attentive! * When the thoroughbreds were led out to prance before him in the
evening, * he said: "I have loved good things instead of remembering God," until
the [sun] was concealed behind the veil [of night again]. * Bring them back to
me!" [he said], and he started to stroke their legs and necks.

* We tested Solomon and dropped a[nother] body on his seat; then he repented.
** He said: "My Lord, forgive me and bestow control on me such as will not suit
anyone after me. You are the Bountiful!" * So We subjected the wind to him: it
blew gently at his command wherever he directed it; * and the devils, every
builder and diver, * as well as others hitched together in a chain gang. * Such
are Our gifts; grant them freely or hold them back, without any [further]
reckoning." ** He holds precedence with Us and the finest retreat.

Job

(IV) * Remember Our servant Job when he called upon his Lord: "Satan has
afflicted me with toil and torment." * "Stomp your foot; this is a cool spring
to wash in and for drinking (too)." * We restored his family to him and the like
of them besides, as a mercy from Us and a Reminder for prudent persons. * "Take
a bundle (of twigs) in your hand and beat [your wife] with it, and do not break
your word." We found him to be patient; how favored was such a servant. He was
so attentive!

Other Prophets

** Remember Our servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who possessed both might
and insight. * We dedicated them specifically as a reminder for the Home; * some
of them were selected from the very best by Us. * Remember Ishmael, Elisha and
[Ezekiel] with the Commission; each [came] from the very best.

Heaven

* This is a Reminder; those who do their duty shall have a fine retreat, **
gardens of Eden whose gates will swing open for them! Relaxing there, they will
call for much fruit and drink in them. * With them there will be bashful mates
equal in age to them. * This is what you were promised on the Day of Reckoning;
* this is Our provision which will never he used up.

Hell

** Such will it be, while the arrogant will have the worst retreat - * Hell!
They will roast in it, and on an awful couch! * Here it is; let them taste it:
scalding water and bitter cold; * and others of its sort to match. * Here comes
a troop rushing at you! They have no welcome here, for they must roast in the
Fire. ** They will say: "Indeed you have no welcome either. You have prepared it
for us; what an awful plight!"

* They will say: "Our Lord, whoever prepared this for us? Give him double
torment in the Fire!" * They will say: "What is the matter with us that we do
not see any men whom we used to consider were evil persons? * Did we take them
for laughingstocks or has our eyesight failed to notice them?" * That is true:
the people in the Fire will just argue away.

(V) ** SAY: "I am only a warner, and there is no deity except God Alone the
Irresistible, * Lord of Heaven and Earth and whatever [lies] in between them,
the Powerful, the Forgiving!" * SAY: "Itis a fateful message you are
shunning. * I have no knowledge about the supreme council such as they claim to
have. ** It has been revealed to me only that I am a plain warner.

Diabolis' Fall

* Once your Lord told the angels: "I am about to create a human being out of
clay. * When I have fashioned him and breathed some of My spirit into him, drop
down on your knees before him." * The angels all bowed down on their knees
together * except for Diabolis; he was too proud and a disbeliever besides.

** He said: 'Diabolis, what prevents you from kneeling down before something
I have created with My own hands? Have you become to proud, * or are you
overbearing?" * He said: "I am better than he is: You created me from
fire while You created him from clay." * He said: "Clear out of here! You are
an outcast; * upon you My curse will rest until the Day for Repayment."

* He said: "My Lord, let me wait until the day when they will be raised up
again," ** He said: "You are one of those who may wait * till a day in known
time." * He said: "Through Your influence, I'll seduce them all * except for
those among them who are Your sincere worshippers." * He said: "Such is the
Truth, and the Truth do I speak: ** I shall fill Hell with you and any of them
who follows you!'

* SAY: "I do not ask you (all) for any payment for it. Nor am I standing on
ceremony; * it is only a Reminder to [everyone in] the Universe so you may know
its message after a while."

39. Throngs

THIS RAPIDLY moving chapter was revealed after Sheba 34 and before the
next one called The Believer OR The Forgiving [God] 40. It
consists of eight sections of 75 Meccan verses, except for vv. 52-54 (V-VI)
which may date from Madina. The chapter begins with an admonition against the
sin of associating anything or anyone in our pure worship of God (I),and
then it shows how such intercession is void (V). A majestic picture paints God's
role in the world (VI). Watch for its dramatic ending which describes Heaven and
Hell as the "Throngs" march there in two separate companies, the saved
and the damned VIII.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * The revelation of the Book [occurs] through God, the Powerful,
the Wise! * We have sent the Book down to you wit the Truth, so serve God
sincerely: religion belongs to Him

Association

* Pure religion belongs to God [Alone]! The ones who take on [other] patrons
instead of Him [claim]: "We do not serve them except to bring closer to God in
homage." God will judge among them about whatever they have been differing over;
God does not guide anyone who is disbelieving liar. * If God had wanted to adopt
a son, He would select an one He wished from what He has created.

Glory be to Him! He is God Alone, the Irresistible! ** He has created
Heaven and Earth for Truth. He wraps night up in daytime, and wraps
daytime up in night. He regulates the sun and moon: each runs along on a
specific course. Is He not the Powerful, the Forgiving

* He has created you (all) from a single soul; then made its mate from
it. He has sent down eight types of livestock for you. He creates you in your
mothers' wombs, one creation following upon another creation in three [stages
of] darkness. Such is God, your Lord. Control belongs to Him; there is no god
except for Him. Yet you disregard [Him]!

The Atonement Rejected

* Even if you disbelieved, God could still dispense with you. He does not
approve of disbelief among His servants; however if you act grateful, He will
approve of you. No burdened [soul] may bear another's burden. Soon your return
will be unto your Lord; then He will notify you about anything you have been
doing. He is Aware of everything that is on your minds.

* Whenever any trouble afflicts a man, he appeals to his Lord, showing his
concern for Him; then when He confers some favor on him from Himself, he forgets
what he had already been appealing to Him about, and sets up rivals for God so
he may mislead [people] from His way. SAY: "Enjoy your disbelief for a little
while; you will [soon] be an inmate of the Fire!"

The Prophet at Prayer

* Who is so prayerful during the small hours of the night, bowing down
on his knees [in worship], standing on his guard about the Hereafter, and hoping
for his Lord's mercy?

SAY: "Are those who know, to be considered equal to those who do not know?
Only prudent men reflect [on this]."

(II)** SAY: "My servants who believe, heed your Lord. Those who act kindly in
this world will have kindness [as their reward]. God's earthis vast!
Surely the patient will be paid their wages without any reckoning."

* SAY: "I have been ordered to serve God sincerely, [making] religion
exclusively His. * I have been ordered to be the first of those who are
committed to [live in] peace.

* SAY: "I fear the torment of an awful day if I should disobey my Lord." *
SAY: "God do I worship sincerely; my religion belongs to Him. ** So worship
anything you wish to instead of Him!" SAY: "The losers will be those who have
lost their own souls as well as their families' on Resurrection Day. That will
be an obvious loss! * They will have sheets of fire above them and sheets
beneath them." That is how God frightens His servants: "My servants, heed Me!"

* The ones who turn aside from the arrogant ones lest they serve them, and
turn toward God, will have good news: proclaim such to My servants * who listen
to the Statement and follow the best in it. Those are the ones whom God has
guided; those are prudent persons. * Against whom has the sentence of torment
been carried out? Will you save someone who is [already] in the Fire?

** Still the ones who heed their Lord will have mansions placed above it,
with rooms constructed underneath through which rivers flow, as God's promise.
God never breaks any appointment. * Have you not seen how God sends down water
from the sky and lets it trickle through the earth into springs? Then He
produces crops of different colors by means of it; next it withers away so you
see it yellowed; then he turns it into stubble. In that is a Reminder for
prudent persons.

(III) * Anyone whose breast God has opened up to Islam will [receive]
light from his Lord. It will be awful for those whose hearts have been hardened
against remembering God! Such people are in obvious error. * God has sent down
the finest report in a consistently duplicated Book. The skins of those who
dread their Lord tingle with it; then their skins and hearts are softened up for
remembering God. Such is God's guidance; He guides anyone He wishes by means of
it, while anyone whom God lets go astray will have no one to guide him.

* Who is it who wards off the worst torment from his person on Resurrection
Day? Wrongdoers will be told: "Taste what you have been earning!" ** The ones
who preceded them denied it, so torment came at them from somewhere they did not
notice. * God lets them taste disgrace during worldly life while torment in the
Hereafter will be even greater if they only realized it! * We have made up every
sort of comparison for mankind in this Reading so that they may be reminded by *
an Arabic Quranpossessing no ambiguity so that they may do their duty.

Getting Along Socially

* God has compared one man who has quarrelsome partners with another man
dealing peacefully with [still another] man. Are either of them comparable?
Praise be to God! Yet most of them do not realize it.

** You are mortal and they are mortal [too]. * Still on Resurrection Day you
(all) will argue it out before your Lord.

PART TWENTY-FOUR

(IV) * Who is more in the wrong than someone who lies about God and denies
the facts even though they have come to him? Is there not room in Hell for such
disbelievers? * Those who bring the facts and confirm them are heedful. * They
will have anything they wish from their Lord; that is the reward for those who
act kindly.

** God will erase the worst that they have done for them: He will reward them
by paying them for the finest part of anything they have been doing. * Is not
God Sufficient for His servant? They frighten you with the ones [they worship]
instead of Him, while anyone whom God lets go astray will have no guide. * No
one can mislead anyone whom God guides. Is God not Powerful, the Wielder of
Retribution?

Proof of God

* If you should ask them who created Heaven and Earth, they would say: "God."
SAY:"Have you (all) ever seen what you appeal to instead of to God
[Alone]? If God wanted [to cause] me any trouble, would such females ever remove
His trouble? Or if He wants some mercy for me, will such females hold back His
mercy?" SAY:"God is [the Means] by Which I reckon; on Him do the reliant
rely."

* SAY:"My people, act according to your situation. I am so acting,
and you shall know ** who will be given such torment as will disgrace him, and
on whom lasting torment will settle down." * We have sent you down the Book with
Truth for mankind. Anyone who is guided, will be so for his own sake, while anyone who goes astray will only stray because
of it as well. You are not set up as any guardian over them.

Death and Sleep

(v) * God recalls souls at the time of their death, and those who have not
died, during their sleep. He holds on to anyone whom death has been decided for,
and sends the others back for a specific period. In that are signs for folk who
meditate.

Intercession is Futile

* Or do they adopt intercessors instead of God? SAY: "Even though they do not
control a thing and cannot even reason?" * SAY: "Intercession belongs entirely
to God. He holds control over Heaven and Earth; soon you will return to Him." **
Whenever God Alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the
Hereafter shudder, while when others are mentioned instead of Him, why, they are
overjoyed! * SAY: "O God, the Originator of Heaven and Earth, Knowing the Unseen
and the Visible! You will judge among Your servants concerning whatever they may
have been differing about."

Retribution

* Even if those who do wrong had absolutely everything on earth and the like
of it besides, with which to redeem themselves from the worst torment on
Resurrection Day, something they had not been figuring on will be shown them by
God: * the evil deeds they have earned will appear before them, and whatever
they were joking about will sweep in around them.

* Whenever any trouble afflicts man, he appeals to Us; then when We confer
some favor from Ourself on him, he says: "I was given it only because I knew
[enough]." ** Rather it is a test, even though most of them do not realize it. *
Those who preceded them said so, yet whatever they had earned did not help them
out. * The evil deeds they will have earned will alight upon them, and the evil
deeds they have earned will strike those who have done wrong, so they will not
escape it. * Do they not know that God extends sustenance to anyone He wishes,
and budgets it out? There are signs in that for folk who believe.

Repentance

(VI)* SAY: "My servants who have acted extravagantly against themselves still
do not despair of God's mercy. God forgives all offences; He is the Forgiving,
the Merciful. * Turn in repentance towards your Lord and commit yourselves
peacefully to Him before torment comes to you; then you will not be supported.
** Follow the finest part of whatever has been sent down to you from your Lord
before torment comes upon you suddenly while you do not notice it, * lest
some soul should say: "O pity me, since I have been so lax so far as God is
concerned, and because I was a scoffer." * Or he may say: "If God had only
guided me, I'd have been more heedful." * Or he may say as he sees the torment:
"If I only had another chance, then I'd be someone who acts kindly!"

God's Role in the World

* Of course My signs came to you, yet you rejected them and acted proudly,
and were a disbeliever! ** On Resurrection Day you will see how the faces of the
ones who have lied about God will be blackened. Is there not room in Hell for
the overbearing? * God will deliver the ones who have done their duty, to their
place of achievement; evil will not touch them nor will they be saddened. God is
the Creator of everything; He is in Charge of everything. He holds the controls
for Heaven and Earth while those who disbelieve in God's signs will be the
losers.

(VII) * SAY:"Are you ordering me to worship somebody besides God, you
know-nothings? ** Yet there has been inspired in you as well as in those before
you: 'If you associate [anything with God], your action will collapse and you
will be a loser.' * Rather you should worship God [Alone] and act grateful."

Resurrection Day

* They have not valued God the way He should be valued. The whole earth will
lie within His grasp on Resurrection Day, while Heaven will be folded up in His
right hand. Glory be to Him; Exalted is He over anything they may associate
[with Him]! * The Trumpet will be sounded and whoever is in Heaven and whoever
is on Earth will be stunned, except for someone God may wish. Then another
[blast] will be blown and behold, they will stand there watching! * The earth
will shine through its Lord's light and the Book will be laid open. Prophets and
witnesses will be brought in, and judgment will be pronounced among them
formally, and they will not be harmed. ** Every soul will be repaid for whatever
it has done; He is quite Aware of what they are doing.

Hell

(VIII) * The ones who disbelieve will be driven along to Hell in
throngs until, just as they come up to it, its gates will swing open and
its keepers will say to them: "Did not messengers come to you from among
yourselves reciting your Lord's verses to you and warning you about meeting
[Him] on this day of yours?" They will say: "Of course!" But the Sentence about
torment has still come due for disbelievers. * Someone else will say: "Enter
Hell's gates to remain there. What an awful lodging will it be for the
overbearing!"

Heaven OR Paradise

* The ones who have heeded their Lord will be driven along to the Garden in
throngs until just as they come up to it, its gates will swing open and
its keepers will tell them: "Peace be upon you! You have been good, so enter it
to remain there." * They will say: "Praise be to God Who has held True to His
promise for us and let us inherit the earth! We shall settle down anywhere we
wish to in the Garden. How favored are such workers' wages!"

** You will see the angels clustering around the Throne hymning their Lord's
praise. Judgment will be pronounced on them formally, and someone will say:
"Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe!"

40. The Believer (or The Forgiving [God])

THISCHAPTER was revealed after the previous one on Throngs 39,
and before the next, [Signs] Spelled Out 41. It initiates a fresh series
of seven chapters, each of which bears the initials H.M. as its opening. Chapter
40 is laid out in nine sections arranged in 85 late Meccan verses, except for
vv. 56-57 (in section VI) which may be from Madina. The title is derived from
the "believing man" in Pharaoh's court who appears in v. 28 & 30 (IV) or
alternately, from Forgiving, the first word in v. 3 (and last in v. 41)

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I)* H.M.

The revelation of the Book [comes] through God, the Powerful, the Aware, *
Forgiving sin and Receiving Repentance, Stern in punishment, Wielder of
Influence. There is no deity except Him; towards Him lies the Goal.

* Only those who disbelieve will argue about God's signs; do not let their
activity throughout the land deceive you. ** Noah's folk denied it even before
them, and [so did] the coalition later on. Every nation worried about their own
messenger, how to catch him [off guard]. They argued with him in vain to refute
the Truth. So I caught up with them and how [awful] was My punishment! * Thus
your Lord's word will be confirmed against those who disbelieve; they [will
become] inmates of the Fire.

* The ones who uphold the Throne and anyone surrounding it hymn their Lord's
praise and believe in Him. They seek forgiveness for those who believe: "Our
Lord, You embrace everything through mercy and knowledge. Forgive those
who repent and follow Your path: shield them from the torment of Hades. * Our
Lord, show them into the gardens of eternity which You have promised them, and
whoever among their forefathers, spouses and off-spring have acted honorably.
You are the Powerful, the Wise! * Shield them from evil deeds. You will show
mercy on that day to anyone You shield from evil deeds. That will be the supreme
Achievement!"

Disbelievers in Hell

(II)**The ones who disbelieve will be addressed [as follows]: "God's
disgust will be even greater than your own disgust is towards one another when
you are called upon to believe and [still] disbelieve." * They will say:

"Our Lord, You have let us die twice and have revived us twice, and so we
[now] acknowledge our sins. Is there no way to escape from here?"

* This has happened because you disbelieved when God was invoked in His
Oneness, while if others were associated with him, you would believe.

Discretion belongs to God, the Sublime, the Great. * He is the One Who shows
you His signs and sends you down sustenance from the sky. Yet only someone who
repents will bear this in mind. * SO appeal to God sincerely; religion belongs
to Him even though disbelievers may hate [to admit] it. ** Lofty in rank,
Possessor of the Throne, He drops the Spirit of His bidding on any of Hi
servants He may wish, so he may warn about the day of the Meeting, * the day
when they will [all] emerge. Nothing concerning them is hidden from God.

Who holds control today? God Alone, the Irresistible hold it! * Today each
soul will be rewarded for whatever it has earned. There will be no wrong [done]
on that day; God is Swift in reckoning!

Doomsday

* Warn them about the day of the Approach [of Doom], when hearts will leap up
into their throats, to choke them. Wrongdoers will have no bosom friend nor any
intercessor who will be obeyed. * He recognizes the furtive glance in their eyes
and whatever is concealed in their minds. ** God judges correctly while those
they appeal to instead of Him do not decide a thing. God is the Alert, the
Observant.

Philosophy of History

(III) *Have they not travelled around the earth and seen what the
outcome was for those who preceded them? They were even stronger than they are
and left more remains on earth. God seized them because of their sins and there
was no one to shield them from God. * That was because their own messengers were
sent to them with explanations and they still disbelieved. So God seized them;
He is Strong, Stern in punishment.

Moses

* We sent Moses with Our signs and clear authority * to Pharaoh, Haman and
Quran. They said: "[He's] a lying magician!" ** When he brought them the Truth
from Our presence, they said: "Kill the sons of those who have believed along
with him, and let their women live." Yet disbelievers' plotting only goes
astray. * Pharaoh said: 'Let me kill Moses! Let him appeal to his Lord! I fear
he will change your religion or cause havoc to appear on earth." * Moses said:
"I take refuge with my Lord and your Lord against every overbearing man who does
not believe in the Day of Reckoning."

(IV) * A man from Pharaoh's court who was a believer and had hiding
his faith said: "What, will you kill a man for merely saying: 'My Lord is God'?
He has brought you explanations about your Lord. If he is a liar, then his lie
falls upon himself, while if he is truthful, some of what he threatens you with
will afflict you. God does not guide anyone who is a preposterous liar. * My
folk, you hold control today as masters d earth. Who will support us against
God's might if it should ever come to us?"

Pharaoh said: "I am only showing you what I see myself, I am only guiding you
along the path of normal behavior." ** The man whobelieved said:
"Myfolk, I fear the same for you as [happened] on the day of the
Coalition, * the same as in the case of Noah's folk, and Ad's and Thamud's, as
well as those who came after them. God wants no injustice to happen to [His]
servants. * My people, I fear the day of the Summons for you, * the day when you
will (all) turn around to retreat. You will not have any defender against God;
anyone whom God lets go astray will have no guide.

* "Joseph brought you explanations before, yet you continued to suspect what
he had brought you until when he perished, you said: 'God will never despatch a
messenger after him!' Thus God lets any extravagant doubter stray away; ** the
ones who argue about God's signs without any authority to do so having been
brought them, incur the greatest disgust so far as God is concerned and so far
as those who believe are concerned. Thus God seals off every overbearing
oppressor's heart."

* Pharaoh said; "Haman, build me a tower so that I may reach the means of
access, * the access to Heaven, so I may climb up to Moses' God. Still I think
he is a liar." Thus his evil action was made to seem attractive to Pharaoh, and
he was hampered along the Way. Pharaoh's plot only meant (his own) downfall.

Responsibility is Rewarded

(V) * The believing man said: "My folk, follow me; I'll guide you
along the path of common sense. * My folk, this worldly life is to be enjoyed
only [briefly]; the Hereafter is the Home to settle down in. ** Anyone who
commits some evil deed will merely be rewarded with something else like it,
while someone who acts honorably, whether it is a man or a woman, provided he is
a believer will enter the Garden. He [or she] will be provided for there
without any reckoning.

* "My people, why am I inviting you to salvation while you are inviting me to
the Fire? * You invite me to deny God and to associate something with Him I have
no knowledge about, while I invite you to [meet] the Powerful, the Forgiver.
* You are merely inviting me to [worship] someone who has positively no way
of being invoked in this world nor in the Hereafter. Our ultimate appeal will be
to God, while the dissipated will become inmates of the Fire. * You must
remember what I am telling you! I shall entrust my affair to God, for God is
Observant of [His] worshippers."

** God shielded him from the evil deeds they plotted while the worst torment
engulfed Pharaoh's court, * the Fire! They will be exposed to it morning and
evening, while on the day when the Hour is set up [there will be heard]: "Send
Pharaoh's court into the harshest torment!"

* As they quarrel away inside the Fire, the weaklings will tell those who
acted proudly: "We were your following. Wont you spare us from a portion of the
Fire?" * The ones who acted so proudly will say: "We are all in it together! God
has judged among [His] servants!" * Those who are inside the Fire will tell the
guards of Hell: "Appeal to your Lord to reduce the torment for us by just a
day!" ** They will say: "Did not your messengers bring you explanations?" They
will say: "Of course!" They will say : "Well, make [your own] appeal then!" Yet
the disbelievers' go astray.

(VI) * We will support Our messengers and those who believe, both during
worldly life and on the day when witnesses will stand up, * the day when their
excuse making will not benefit any wrongdoers, They shall have the Curse; they
will have the worst home!

* We gave Moses guidance and let the Children of Israel inherit the Book *
for guidance and as a Reminder to prudent persons, ** so be patient: God's
promise is true! Seek forgiveness for your offence and hymn God's praise at
evening and in the morning hours. * Those who argue about God's signs without
their having any authority to do so, only feel pride within their breasts; they
shall never achieve anything. Take refuge with God; He is the Alert, the
Observant.

* To create Heaven and Earth is greater than creating mankind, though most
men do not realize it. * A blind and a sighted person are not equal, nor are
those who believe and perform honorable actions, and an evildoer, How seldom do
you keep it in mind! * "The Hour is coming, there is no doubt about it; yet most
men will not believe. ** Your Lord has said: "Appeal to Me; I shall respond to
you. The ones who are to proud to worship Me will enter Hell abjectly."

(VII) * God is the One Who has granted you night so you may rest in it, and
daylight to see your way around. God possesses bounty for mankind, even hough
most men are not grateful for it.

A Hymn to God

* Such is God your Lord,

the Creator of everything.

There is no deity except Him;

yet how you shrug things off!

* Thus those who have repudiated God's signs

just shrug them off!

* God is the One Who has granted you the earth to settle down on and the sky
built above you, and has shaped you. He has made your shapes handsome and
provided you with wholesome things.

Such is God, your Lord;

so blessed is God

Lord of the Universe!

** He is the Living;

there is no deity except Him,

so appeal to Him sincerely,

[making] religion exclusively His.

Praise he to God,

Lord of the Universe?

* SAY: "I have been forbidden to worship those you appeal to instead of to
God [Alone], since explanations have reached me from my Lord, and I have been
ordered to commit myself peacefully to the Lord of the Universe.

Man's Stages

* "He is the One Who created you from dust, then from a drop of semen, then
from a clot. Next He brings you forth as a child, then lets you reach maturity.
Then you will grow elderly, even though some of you may pass away even earlier,
and you will reach an appointed deadline so that you may use your reason. * He
is the One Who gives life and brings death. Whenever He has decided on some
matter, He merely tells it: 'Be!'; and it is."

(VIII) *Have you not considered how the ones who argue about God's
signs actually disregard them? ** Those who reject the Book and anything We have
sent along with Our messengers shall know * when fetters as well as chains are
placed around their necks. They will be hauled along * into scalding water; then
they will be scorched in the Fire. * Next they will be told: 'Where are the
[false gods] you have been associating with * instead of God [Alone]?" They will
say: "They have left us in the lurch. In fact we did not appeal to anything
previously."

Thus God lets disbelievers go astray. ** That is because you went around the
earth rejoicing without having any right to and because you felt so elated. *
Enter Hell's gates to remain there; how wretched will the lodging of the
overbearing be. * Yet be patient: God's promise will come true whether We show
you part of what We promise them or recall you to Us; to Us they (too) will be
returned.

Other Messages

We have sent messengers before you, some of whom We have told you about,
while We have not told you about others. No messenger may bring any sign unless
it is with God's permission. Once God's command comes, [matters] will be decided
correctly, and that is where the quibblers will lose out!

(IX)* God is the One Who has granted you livestock so you may ride on some
and eat from others. ** You receive benefits from them so that by means of them,
you may satisfy any need you have in mind; on them and on shipboard are you
transported. * He shows you His signs, so which of God's signs will you
disregard?

Eleventh Hour Conversion

* Have you not travelled around the earth and observed what the outcome has
been for those who preceded them? They were more numerous and stronger than they
are, and they [left greater] remains on earth. Yet whatever they had
accomplished did not help them out: * when their messengers brought them
explanations, they were happy with the knowledge they already possessed; so what
they had been making fun of swept in around them. However once they saw Our
might, they said: "We believe in God Alone, and disbelieve in what we used to
associate with Him."

** Their [sudden] faith did not benefit them once they saw Our might; [such
is] God's practice which He has already used with His servants. The disbelievers
lost out right there!

41. [Signs] Spelled Out (or Bowing Down on One's Knees)

THIS CHAPTER of 54 Meccan verses is arranged in six sections. It was revealed
in sequence after the previous one called The Believer 40 and before the
next one on Consultation 42. When the Prophet's uncle Utbah ibn-Hisham
heard this, he is said to have exclaimed: "By God, I have heard a recitation
such as I have never heard before! It is neither poetry, nor magic, nor
divination ... Leave this man alone," referring of course to his nephew.

The chapter deals with creation (II)and what one may expect as a
reward for his actions. The role of the prophets who were sent to the ancient
Arabian peoples of Ad and Thamud is mentioned (II);the Golden Rule in
its Islamic context is also stated (V); and then at the very end, the Quran
itself is described. The alternate title for the chapter is "Ha-Mimon
Worship".

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * H.M.

* [It is] a revelation from the Mercy-giving, the Merciful, * a Book whose
verses have been spelled out, as an Arabic reading for folk who know, *
[sent down] as good news and a warning. Yet most of them avoid it and will not
listen.

** They say: "Our hearts are [covered] with wrappers against what you invite
us to; in our ears there [rings] a dullness while a curtain [hangs] between us
and you. So act, for we (too) are acting!"

* SAY: "I am only human like yourselves. It has been revealed to me that your
god is God Alone. So go straight towards Him and seek His forgiveness; how awful
will it be for associators * who pay no welfare tax while they disbelieve in the
Hereafter! * The ones who believe and perform honorable deeds will have payment
which will never be withheld from them."

(II) * SAY: "How can you disbelieve in Someone Who created the earth in two
days? You even set up rivals to Him!"

Yet such is the Lord of the Universe! ** He has placed headlands towering
above it and blessed [whatever is] on it, and measured out its types of
nourishment for it in four seasons, equally [within reach] for those who ask for
it. * Then He soared up to Heaven while it was still a haze, and told both it
and the earth: "Come, either obediently or reluctantly." They both said: "We
shall come willingly!" * He determined there should be seven heavens
[constructed] within two days, and inspired its own order in each heaven. We
have beautified the lowest heaven with lamps and a safeguard. Such is the design
of the Powerful, the Aware!

* If they avoid it, then say: "I have warned you of a thunderbolt like Ad's
and Thamud's thunderbolt." * When messengers came at them from both before and
behind them [saying]: "Serve no one except God!"; they said: 'If our Lord had so
wished, He would have sent angels down, so we are disbelievers concerning
whatever you have been sent with."

Ad

** As for [the people of] Ad, they acted proudly on earth without any right
[to do so], and they said: "Who is stronger than we are?" Did they not see that
God, Who created them, is much Stronger than they were? They had disregarded Our
signs. * We sent a howling gale against them during some disastrous days, so We
might let them taste the torment of humiliation during worldly life. Yet torment
in the Hereafter will be even more humiliating, and they will never be
supported.

Thamud

* As for Thamud, We guided them too, yet they preferred blindness to
guidance. [Another] thunderbolt seized them with shameful punishment because of
what they had been earning. * Yet We saved the ones who believed and had been
doing their duty.

What Retribution Means

(III)*On the day when God's enemies are summoned to the Fire, they
will be paraded forth ** so that when they come up to it, their hearing,
eyesight and their skins will testify against them concerning anything they have
been doing. * They will say to their skins: "Why have you testified against us?'

They will say: "God, Who grants speech to everything, has given us speech. He
created you in the first place, and to Him are you returning. Even though you
tried to disguise yourselves, lest your hearing, eyesight or your skins would
still testify against you, did you suppose that God does not know so much about
whatever you are doing?, * That supposition of yours which you conceived about
your Lord has ruined you, so you have awakened among the losers."

* Even if they are patient, the Fire will still be a lodging for them, while
if they want their case to be reviewed, they will not be granted any review; **
We have assigned them soulmates who have made anything that lies before them and
anything behind them seem attractive to the The Sentence has been confirmed
against them just as it was with t nations of sprites and humankind who passed
away before them. They have been the losers!

(IV)*Those who disbelieve will say: "Do not listen to this Reading,
and chatter away while it is [being recited), so you will drown it out." * We
will let those who disbelieve taste severe torment; We will reward them for the
worst which they have done. * Such will he the reward for God' enemies: the
Fire! They will find a home there for ever as a reward because they have
repudiated Our signs. * The ones who disbelieve will say: "Our Lord, show us
which sprites and humans have misled us; we shall trample on both [types] of
them with our feet so they will become underdogs.

** The ones who say: 'Our Lord is God [Alone];" then keep straight on ahead,
will have angels alight on them [saying]: "Do not fear nor fee saddened, and
rejoice in word about the Garden which you have been promised! * We are your
sponsors during worldly life and in the Hereafter; during it you shall have
whatever your souls may crave, You will have whatever you request in it * as
hospitality from Someone [Who is] Forgiving, Merciful."

The Islamic Golden Rule

(V) * Who speaks in a finer way than someone who appeals to God, acts
honorably and says: "I am a Muslim!"?

* A good deed and an evil deed are not alike: repel [evil] withsomething (that is) finer, and notice how someone who is separated
fromyou because of enmity will become a bosom friend!

** Yet only those who discipline themselves will attain it; only very
luckiest will achieve it!

* Nevertheless if some impulse from Satan should prompt you, then seek refuge
with God; He is the Alert, Aware!

BOW DOWN HERE

* Among His signs are night and daylight, and the sun and moon, Do not
bow down on your knees to the sun nor the moon: bow down on knees before
God [Alone], Who created them, if you have been worshipping Him. * Even though
they may act proud, those who are with your Lord still glorify Him night and
day; they never weary of it.

The Quran is Unassailable

* Among His signs, you see how desolate the earth is; yet whenever We
send water down upon it, it stirs and sprouts. The One Who revives it is the
Reviver of the dead; He is Capable of everything! ** The ones who distort Our
signs are never hidden from Us. Is someone who will be cast into the Fire
better, or someone who will come safely through on Resurrection Day? Do whatever
you (all) may wish: He is Observant of anything you do. * Such are those who
disbelieve in the Reminder when it has come to them; it is such a splendid Book!
* No falsehood shall approach it from either in front of it or behind it, since
it is a Revelation from Someone [Who is] Wise, Praiseworthy.

* Anything that has been told you is merely what was told [other] messengers
before you. Your Lord is the Master of Forgiveness as well as the Wielder of
Painful Punishment. * If We had set it up as some foreign Reading, they would
still say: "If its verses were only spelled out in details!" Must it be
foreign while [he speaks] Arabic? SAY: "It means guidance and healing for such
people as believe, while the ones who do not believe are merely hard of hearing
and it [implies] blindness on their part as well. Those people [act as if they]
are being called to from a long distance off."

(VI) ** We gave Moses the Book, yet differences have arisen over it. If word
had not goneon ahead from your Lord, things would have already been
settled concerning them. They are in such disgusting doubt about it. * Whoever
acts honorably, does so for his own soul's sake; while anyone who commits evil,
merely does so against his own interests. Your Lord is never unjust towards His
servants.

PART TWENTY-FIVE

(VI, cont'd) * To Him should knowledge about the Hour be referred: no fruit
comes forth from its blossom and no female conceives nor gives birth without His
knowledge. The day when He calls out to them: "Where are My associates?", they
will say: "We assure You there is not a witness [for them] among us." * Whatever
they were appealing to previously will leave them in the lurch; they will think
they have no way to escape.

* Man never tires of appealing for good,

while if some evil ever afflicts him,

he becomes desperate, disheartened.

** If We let him taste some mercy from Ourself after some hardship has
afflicted him, he is sure to say: "This is mine! I do not think the Hour is at
hand. Even if I were sent back to my Lord, I would still [receive] the finest
[treatment] from Him!"

We shall notify those who disbelieve about whatever they have done; We will
let them taste fierce torment. * Whenever We show man some favor, he spurns it
and drifts off to one side. Then when any evil afflicts him, he appeals [to Us]
both loud and long. * SAY: "Have you considered whether it [came] from God? Yet
even then you (all) disbelieved in Him!" Who wanders further off the track than
someone who is in extreme disagreement?

The Macrocosm and Microcosm

* We will show them Our signs on [all] the horizons as well as within
themselves, until it becomes clear to them that it is the Truth. Does your Lord
not suffice as a Witness for everything?

* Still they [remain] in a quandary

about meeting their Lord!

Yet He is the One

Who embraces everything!

42. Consultation

THIS CHAPTER WAS revealed in sequence after the previous one on [Signs]
Spelled Out 41 and before the next, Luxury 43. It consists of five
sections of 53 late Meccan verses, except for vv. 23-24 and v. 27 which are all
in section III, and date from Madina.

The consultation referred to in v.38 (IV(C) gives us a basis for
democratic action which is often quoted even though it is not a full guide for
parliamentary procedure. God's attributes (I) should become clear to those who
associate others with Him (II). Morals and ethics from another theme (IV),
especially in cases of self defense and protection. The final paragraph
describes the process of divine inspiration.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * H.M.

* O.S.Q.

*Thus God the Powerful, the Wise, inspires you as well as those preceding
you. * He owns whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on earth; He is the
Sublime, the Almighty! ** The heavens almost burst apart above them as the
angels hymn their Lord's praise and seek forgiveness for whoever in on earth.
Indeed God is the Merciful Forgiver!

* Those whom they adopt as patrons instead of Him will still have God as an
Overseer, while you are no agent [set up] over them. * Thus We have inspired you
with an Arabic reading so you may warn the Mother Town and anyone around her,
and warn about the Day of Gathering there is no doubt will take place. A group
will be in the garden while another group will be in the Blaze.

* If God so wished, He would have set them up as a single community, but He
admits anyone He wishes into His mercy while wrongdoers will have no patron nor
any supporter.

* Why, have they adopted other patrons instead of Him? God is the [Only]
Patron; He revives the dead; He is Capable of everything!

God's Attributes

(II) * No matter what you (all ) may have differed over in any way, its
jurisdiction still [remains] up to God.

A Hymn to God

Such is God, my Lord;

on Him have I relied

and to Him do I refer.

* Originator of Heaven and Earth,

He has granted you spouses

from among yourselves,

as well as pairs of livestock

by means of which He multiplies you.

There is nothing like Him!

He is the Alert, the Observant.

* He holds the controls over Heaven and earth;

He extends sustenance and measures it out

to anyone He wishes.

He is Aware of everything!

* He has instituted the [same] religion for you [Muslims] as He recommended
for Noah, and which We have inspired in you and recommended for Abraham, Moses
and Jesus: "Maintain religion and do not stir up any divisions within it."

Associates Will Not Listen

What you invent them to do seems unacceptable for associators. God chooses
anyone He wishes for Himself and guides to Himself anyone who repents. * They
only separated after knowledge had come to them, because of envy towards one
another. If word from your lord had not already gone ahead till a specific
period, things would already have been determined among them.

Those who inherited the Book after them feel a suspicious doubt concerning
it. ** Therefore appeal [to them] and keep straight on just as you have been
ordered to; do not follow their whims, and say [instead]: "I believe in whatever
God has sent down [on the form] of a Book, and have commanded to deal justly
with you (all). God is our Lord as well as your Lord. We have our actions while
you have your actions; no quarrel exists between us and you. God will bring us
(all) together; towards Him lies the goal! * The ones who argue about God after
He has responded to them will have their arguments refuted by their Lord. On
them anger will fall and they will have severe torment.

(III) ** For anyone who has been wanting a harvest in the Hereafter, we will
increase his harvest; and We shall give some of it to anyone who has been
wanting a worldly harvest, while he will not have any share in the Hereafter. *
Or do they have associates who legislate for them about religion in matters
which God would not sanction? If it were not for a decisive statement, things
would have been decided among them. Wrongdoers will have painful torment! * You
will see wrongdoers apprehensive about what they have earned even while it is
bound to happen to them. The ones who believe and perform honorable deeds will
be in parks inside the Gardens; they will have anything they wish from their
Lord. That will be the great boon. * That is what God proclaims to those
servants of His who believe and perform honorable deeds.

God's Omniscience

SAY: "I do not ask you any payment for it except affection towards your
relatives." We shall add to its fineness for anyone who acquires a fine deed.
God is Forgiving, Appreciative. * Or do they say: "He made up a lie about God?"
If God wished, He might seal off you heart: God blots out falsehood and verifies
the Truth through His own words. He is Aware of anything that is on your minds.
** He is the One Who accepts repentance from His servants and overlooks [their]
evil deeds, and adds even more for them out of His bounty, while disbelievers
will have severe torment.

* If God were to expand sustenance for His servants, they would act
outrageously on earth; but He sends down anything He wishes in [due] measure. He
is informed, Observant concerning His worshippers. * He is the one Who sends
down showers after they have lost hope, and scatters His mercy aboard. He is the
Praiseworthy Patron! * Among His signs is the creation of Heaven and Earth, as
well as any animals He has propagated in either of them. He is capable of
gathering them whenever He wishes.

(IV) ** Any disaster that happens to you will [occur] because of what your
own hands have earned. Yet He overlooks a great deal. * You (all) will not
frustrate anything on earth nor do you have any patron nor supporter besides
God. * Among His signs are the vessels that loom up at sea like landmarks. * If
He so wished, He would lie becalmed on its surface. In that are signs for every
disciplined, grateful person. * Or He would wipe them out because of what they
have earned, even though He overlooks a great deal. ** Yet those who argue about
Our signs realize they have no escape.

Morals and Ethics; Legislation

Self Defence

* Anything you are given is for enjoyment during worldly life; while what God
possess is better and more enduring for those who believe and rely on their
Lord, * who refrain from the greatest misdeeds and sexual offences, and forgive
whenever they become angry, * and who respond to their Lord and keep up prayer;
and whose business is [conducted] through mutual consultation among
themselves, and spend some of what We have provided them with, and who protect
themselves whenever any outrage happens to them. ** The reward for an injury
should be an injury proportionate to it.

Handling Oppression and Injury

Yet anyone who overlooks things and becomes reconciled shall receive his
payment from God; He does not love wrongdoers! * Those who defend themselves
after being wronged will have no way open against them; * a way [to blame them]
is open only against those who mistreat [other] people and behave outrageously
on earth without having any right to do so. Those will have painful torment. *
Yet anyone who acts patiently and forgives, [shows] perseverance in [handling]
matters.

(V) * Anyone whom God lets go astray will have no patron beyond Him; you will
see wrongdoers saying, once they have seen the torment: "Is there any way to
turn back?" ** You will see them solemnly trying to avoid it because of the
disgrace they feel as they steal furtive glances at it. The ones who believe
will say "The losers are the ones who have lost their own souls plus their
families' on Resurrection Day. Will wrongdoers not [live] in lasting torment? *
They did not have any patrons to support them besides God. Anyone whom God lets
go astray will have no [other] way [to go]."

* Respond to your Lord before a day comes along that will not be fended off;
you will not find any refuge from God on that day nor will you have [any chance]
to reject it. * If they should still evade it, We did not send you as any
guardian over them; you have only to state things plainly. Whenever We let man
taste some mercy from Ourself, he acts overjoyed by it, while the moment some
evil deed strikes them because of something their own hands have prepared, man
[acts so] thankless.

* God holds control over Heaven and Earth; He creates anything He wishes. He
bestows a daughter on anyone He wishes and bestows a son on anyone He wishes; **
or marries them off, both male and female, and makes anyone He wishes barren. He
is Aware, Capable.

Divine Inspiration

* It is not [fitting] for God to speak to any human being except through
inspiration or from behind a curtain, or by sending a messenger anything He
wishes to inspire [mankind] with, through His permission. He is Sublime, Wise. *
Thus We have revealed a spirit from Our bidding for you. You did not know what
either the Book or Faith were, but We have set it up as a Light by means of
which We guide any of Our servants whom We wish. You are guiding [men] toward a
Straight Road, * the Road to God, Who owns whatever is in Heaven and whatever is
on Earth. Matters (all) end up with God!

43. Luxury

THISCHAPTER was revealed in sequence after the previous one on
Consultation 42 and before the next one on Smoke 44. It consists
of 89 late Meccan verses arranged in seven sections; only v. 54 (in section V)
dates from Madina.

The chapter leads off with a description of God in His roles as Creator (I)
and the Mercy-giving (II-IV); then it tells about Moses (V), and ends with an
explanation of Jesus' place as a prophet (VI). God has no son, we are assured,
nor does He need any associates (VII).

The title is found in verse 35 (III), where luxurious houses are described,
and at the beginning of section vii where we also find a picture of Paradise.
The word zukhruf can be variously translated as 'glitter', 'ornament(s',
'gilding' or 'glamor'.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * H. M.

* By the Clear Book, * We have set up as an Arabic reading so that that you
may (all) use your reason. * It is [comprised] in the Mother of the Book [which
exists] in Our presence, so lofty, wise! ** Should We quietly slip the Reminder
away from you since you have been such dissipated folk? * How many prophets have
We sent to early men? * No prophet ever came to them unless they made fun of
him. * We have wiped out more valiant people than they were, and the same has
already occurred with early men.

God the Creator

* If you should ask them who created Heaven and Earth, they would say: "The
Powerful, the Aware has created them, ** the One Who has placed the earth as a
cradle for you, and traced highways for you on it so that you may feel guided, *
Who has sent down water from the sky in due measure." Just so have We raised up
a dead land with it; thus you (all) will come forth too! * [He is] the One Who
has created all [sorts] of species, and granted you ships and livestock to ride
on, * so you may mount on their backs. Then once you have mounted (or boarded)
them, remember your Lord's favor and say:

"Glory be to HimWho has subjected these to our [use]; we (ourselves)
would never achieve it! * We shall be sent home to our Lord."

** Still they have assigned a portion of His own servants to Him; man is so
obviously thankless!

(II)*Or should He adopt daughters from what He creates and single out
sons for you? * Whenever one of them is notified about the same as he imputes
concerning the Mercy-giving, his face becomes dark with gloom and he feels like
choking. * Is someone who is set up just to look pretty while he is unable to
discuss things clearly [worth worshipping]? * They even pretend the angels who
are the Mercy-giving's servants are females! Were they present at their own
creation? Their testimony will be written down and they will be questioned about
it.

** They say: "If the Mercy-giving had so wished, we would not have worshipped
them." No matter what knowledge they may have about that, they are still merely
guessing. * Or have We given them a book already which they try to hold on to?

Tradition Can Be Wrong

* Moreover they say: "We found our forefathers following such a community and
we are merely being guided along their tracks." * Just the same We have not sent
any warner into a town previous to you unless its highlivers said: "We found our
forefathers with such a community, and are merely being led. along their
tracks." * He said: "Even if I should bring you better guidance than what you
found your forefathers had?", they would say: 'We reject anything you are sent
with!"

** We have been avenged on them; see what the outcome was for those who
denied [it all]!

Abraham

(III)*Thus Abraham told his father and his folk: "I am innocent of
what you are serving. * Only the One Who originated me will guide me!" * He left
it as an enduring word with his posterity so they might return (to it).

* Indeed I have let those (men) as well as their forefathers enjoy things
until Truth and a plain messenger should come to them. ** Yet whenever Truth did
come to them, they said: "This is magic! We disbelieve in it!" * They said: 'If
this Reading were only sent down to some important man from either town!"

* Are they dividing up your Lord's mercy? We divide up their livelihood among
them during worldly life, and raise some of them higher in rank than others so
that some of them may take advantage of the labor of others. Your Lord's mercy
is better than what they are collecting. * If it were not that mankind has been
a single nation, We would grant anyone who disbelieves in the Mercy-giving
silver roofs for their houses and staircases to climb up on, * and doors for
their houses and couches to recline on ** and [similar] luxury! All that
means nothing except enjoyment during worldly life while those who do their duty
will [spend] the Hereafter with your Lord.

(IV)*We assign anyone who fails to remember the Mercy-giving at
nightfall, a devil who will become a soulmate for him. * They divert them from
the [right] way while they may reckon they are guided, * until when he comes up
to Us, he says: "Alas, if the distance between the two Easts only lay between
you and me! He's such an awful soulmate!"

* It will never benefit you today to have any partners in torment since you
have already gone wrong. ** Will you make the deaf hear or guide the blind, as
well as anyone else who is in obvious error? * Even should We take you away, We
will still be avenged on them. * Or shall We show you what We have promised
them? We are Competent to deal with them!

* Hold on to whatever has been revealed to you; you are on a Straight Road. *
It is a Reminder for you and your folk, and you will (all) be questioned. *
Question any of Our messengers We have sent before you: "Did We set up any
[other] gods they should serve instead of the Mercy-giving?"

Moses

(V) * We sent Moses with Our signs to Pharaoh and his courtiers, and he said:
"I am a messenger from the Lord of the Universe." * When he brought them Our
signs, they merely laughed at them! * Yet We did not show them any sign unless
it was even greater than the one that had preceded it. We afflicted them with
torment so that they might return. * They said: "Mr. Magician, appeal to your
Lord for us concerning what He had pledged to you; we will act as if we are
guided."

** Yet once We removed torment from them, why they broke their word! *
Pharaoh announced it among his people; he said: "My people, do I not hold
control over Egypt and these rivers flowing by me? Do you not notice anything? *
Surely I am better than this wretch who can scarcely explain a thing! * If he
were only presented with gold bracelets or some angels came along hitched up
with him!'

* He sneered at his folk, yet they obeyed him; they were such immoral folk.
** When they provoked Us [sufficiently], We took revenge on them and let them
all drown; * We left them as has-beens and an example for later men.

Jesus

(VI) * When Mary's son is quoted as an example, why, your people resist him!
* They say: "Are our gods better, or is he?" They quote him to you only for the
sake of argument; indeed they are such quarrelsome folk!

* He was only a servant whom We favored and offered as an example to
the Children of Israel.

** If We had so wished, We might have made angels out of some of you who
would replace you on earth. * It will be because of knowledge about the Hour. Do
not puzzle over it and follow Me; this is a Straight Road. * Do not let Satan
hamper you; he is an obvious enemy of yours.

When Jesus came with explanations, he said: "I have brought you wisdom, so
that I may explain something to you about what you have been differing over. So
heed God and obey me! * God is my Lord and your Lord, so serve Him. This is a
Straight Road."

** Factions have disagreed among themselves. It will be too bad for the ones
who have done wrong as [they face] torment on a painful day! * Are they merely
waiting for the Hour to come upon them suddenly while they do not even notice
it? * On that day even bosom friends will become one another's enemies, unless
they have done their duty.

(VII)*My servants, you have no need to fear today nor should you feel
saddened; * [tell] those who believe in Our signs and are committed to [live in]
peace: ** "Enter the Garden rejoicing, both you and your spouses!"

Paradise

* Gold platters and cups will be passed around among them containing anything
(their) souls may hanker for and (their) eyes delight in. You will live there
for ever. * Such is the Garden which you will inherit because of what you have
been doing. * You will have plenty of fruit to eat in it.

* Yet criminals will remain in Hell's torment; ** it will not be eased for
them and they will feel confounded in it. * Still We will not harm them but
rather they have already harmed themselves. * They will cry out: "Master, have
your Lord put an end to us!"

He will say: "You must stay on here! * We brought you the Truth even though
most of you detest the Truth." * Or have they tried to use some scheme [against
you]? Well, We will try something too! ** Or do they reckon that We do not hear
their secrets nor how they conspire together? Of course Our messengers are
writing it (all) down in their very presence!

God Has No Son

* SAY: "If the Mercy-giving had a son, I would be the first to worship
[him]." * Glory be to the Lord of Heaven and Earth, Lord of the Throne, ahead of
what they ascribe [to Him]! * Leave them to speculate and play around until they
face their day which they have been promised.

* He Alone is God in Heavenand God on Earth; He is the Wise, Aware.
** Blessed is He Who holds control over Heaven and Earth, and
anything in between them.He has knowledge of the Hour and to Him will
you be returned.

Associates Cannot Intercede

* The ones whom they appeal to instead of Him control no intercession except
for someone who testifies concerning the Truth, and they realize it. * If you
should ask them Who created them, they would say: "God [Alone]"; and yet they
shrug Him off!

* So he says: "My Lord, those are folk who do not believe." * Disregard them,
and say: "Peace [be on you!" instead]. They will realize it eventually.

44. Smoke

THIS CHAPTER contains 59 middle Meccan verses arranged in three Tsections
which were again revealed in sequence, after the previous chapter on Luxury
43 and before the next one on Crouching 45. The title comes from the
reference in v. 10 (I) to the smoke or haze which will announce the drought
preceding Doomsday. It ends with another description, first of Hell, and then of
Heaven (III).

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * H.M.

* By the Clear Book * which We sent down on a blessed night We have been
warning about! In it every wise matter is set forth ** as a command from Our
presence; We have been sending * mercy from your Lord. He is the Alert, Aware, *
Lord of Heaven and Earth and anything in between them, if you will be convinced.
* There is no deity except Him; He gives life and brings death, your Lord and
the Lord of your earliest ancestors.

Eleventh Hour Belief

* Instead they play around with doubt. ** Watch out for the day when the sky
will bring obvious smoke * to envelop mankind; this will mean painful torment: *
"Our Lord, remove the torment from us; we are believers!"

* Yet they had the Reminder, and an obvious messenger had already come to
them. * Then they turned away from him and said: "He has been taught it; [he's]
so crazy!"

** Were We to lift the torment for a while, you would still revert [to it]! *
Some day We will kidnap everyone in the greatest operation; We shall be Avenged!

Pharaoh's People

* We tested Pharaoh's folk before them, and a noble messenger came to them: *
"Hand over God's servants to me. I am a trustworthy messenger for you. * Do not
act so haughtily concerning God: I bring you clear authority. ** I have sought
refuge with my Lord and your Lord, lest you cast me out. * If you do not believe
in me, then keep away from me." * So he appealed to his Lord: "These are
criminal folk!"

* "Travel with My servants at night for you will be followed. * Leave the sea
parted; they are an army who will be drowned." ** How man gardens and fountains
have they left behind! * And crops and a splendid position * and a life of ease
they were delighted with. * Even so We let other folk inherit it from them. *
Neither Heaven nor Earth wept over them, nor were they allowed to wait.

(II) **So We saved the Children of Israel from shameful torment, *
from Pharaoh, who was haughty, so dissipated. * We chose them knowingly ahead of
[anyone in] the Universe; * and gave them signs which contained an obvious test.
* Yet the latter kept on saying: ** "There is only this first death of ours; we
will not be raised again. * Bring on our forefathers if you have been truthful."

Life is Serious

* Are they any better than the people of Tubba and the ones before them whom
We wiped out? They were such criminals! * We did not create Heaven and Earth and
anything in between them just by playing around. * We have created them both
only [to reveal] the Truth, even though most of them do not realize it. ** The
Day for Sorting things out will mean an appointment for everyone, * a day when
no patron will be able to help a favorite out in any way nor will they be
supported * except for someone whom God has shown mercy to. He is the Powerful,
the Merciful.

Hell

(III) *The infernal tree * will be food for the sinner; ** like
molten copper, it will seethe inside (their) bellies * like a bathhouse boiler:
* "Take him and drag him into the midst of Hades! * Then pour some torment of
scalding water over his head: * 'Taste it; you were such a powerful noble!"' **
This is what you (all)were puzzling over!"'

Heaven

* The heedful will be in a safe position * among gardens and springs. They
will wear satin and brocade as they sit facing one another, just like that; and
We will wed them to dark-eyed

damsels. They will call confidently for every kind of fruit in it. ** They
will not taste death there except for the very first death [they had]. He will
shield them from the torment of Hades * as a boon from your Lord; that will be
the supreme Achievement!

* We have made it easy for your tongue [to recite] in order that they may
bear this in mind.* So watch out: they too are watching!

45. Crouching

THIS CHAPTER was revealed after the previous one called Smoke 44 an
before the next one, The Dunes 46, thus continuing the sequence.
contains four sections of 37 late Meccan verses, except for v. 14 which dates
from the Madinese period. The title is to be found in v. 28 (IV). The is much
moral teaching in this chapter, especially in section II.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(1) * H.M.

* The revelation of the Book [happens] through God, the Powerful, the Wise; *
there are signs in Heaven and Earth for believers. * In your own creation as
well as how animals are propagated there are signs for folk who are convinced.
** The alternation of night and daylight, and any sustenance God sends down from
the sky with which He revives the earth after its death, and the wheeling of the
winds are signs for folk who use their reason. * Those are God's signs which We
recite to you for the Truth, so in what report will you believe if not in God
and His signs?

* How awful will it be for every shamming sinner * who hears God's signs
recited to him, then proudly persists as if he had never heard them. Announce
some painful torment to him! * Whenever he learns anything about Our signs, he
takes them as a joke.

Those shall have shameful torment: ** beyond them there lies Hell. Anything
they have earned will not help them out at all, nor will anything they have
adopted as patrons instead of God, They will have awful torment! This means
guidance, while those who disbelieve in your Lord's signs will have painful
punishment as a blight.

(II) *God is the One Who has subjected the sea to you, so that ships
may sail on it at His command and you may seek His bounty and even feel
grateful, * He has subjected whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth to
you; it all comes from Him. In that are signs for folk who think things over. *
Tell those who believe to forgive the ones who do not expect [to see] God's
days, so He may reward a folk according to whatever it has earned. ** Anyone who
acts honorably, acts on his own behalf; while whoever commits evil will find it
stands against him; then to Lord shall you (all) return.

The Children of Israel

* We already gave the Children of Israel the Book, discretion and
prophethood, and We provided them with wholesome things and let excel over
[everyone in] the Universe. * We gave them explanations about the Matter. They
only disagreed after knowledge had come to them, out of envy towards one
another. Your Lord will judge among them on Resurrection Day concerning anything
they may have been differing over.

* Next We placed you on a highroad [to receive] the command, so follow along
it and do not follow the whims of those who do not know. * They will never help
you out in any way against God; some wrongdoers act as patrons for others, while
God is Patron of those who do their duty. ** These are insights for mankind, as
well as guidance and mercy for folk who are convinced. * Or do those who commit
evil deeds reckon that We will treat them exactly like those who believe and
perform honorable actions, just as if their mode of living and their way of
dying were equivalent? How lamely do they judge!

(III)* God has created Heaven and Earth for a true purpose, and so every soul
may be rewarded for whatever it has earned, and they will not be harmed. * Have
you seen someone who has taken his passion as his god? God knowingly lets him go
astray and seals off his hearing and his heart, and places a covering over his
eyesight. Who will guide him instead of God? Will you not reflect [on this]?

They have no knowledge about that; they are only supposing. ** Whenever Our
clear verses are recited to them, their argument is merely to say: "Bring back
our forefathers if you are so truthful." SAY: "God gives you life; then brings
you death. Next He will bring you (all) together on Resurrection Day; there is
no doubt about it." Yet most men do not realize it.

The Final HourThe Doom of Nations

(IV)*God holds control over Heaven and Earth, and the day when the
Hour will take place. On that day, quibblers will lose out! * You will see,
every nation crouching; each nation will be called [to appear] before its
book: "Today you will be rewarded for whatever you have been doing. * This book
of Ours will pronounce the Truth about you; We have been recording whatever you
have been doing."

Their Lord will admit those into His mercy who believe and perform honorable
deeds; that will be the clear Achievement. * As for the ones who disbelieve:
"Were not My signs recited to you, and yet you acted proudly and were such
criminal folk? * When someone said that God's promise is true and there is no
doubt about the Hour, you (all) said: 'We do not know what the Hour is. We are
only making a conjecture, and we are not convinced!'"

* The evil deeds they have committed will appear before them while whatever
they were joking about will sweep in around them. * Someone will say: 'Today we
shall forget you just as you forgot about a Meeting on this day of yours. Your
lodging will be the Fire; you have no supporters! ** That is because you took
God's signs for a joke. Worldly life has lured you on."

Today they will not be allowed to leave there nor will they be permitted to
argue back.

* Yet God merits praise as Lord of Heaven and Lord of Earth; even as Lord
of the Universe! * He holds greatness in Heaven and Earth; He is the
Powerful, the Wise!

46. The Dune

THIS CHAPTER was revealed after the previous one entitled Crouching
T45 and forms the last of the Ha-Mim series. It is dated prior to Winnowing
[Winds] 51 and consists of 35 late Meccan verses arranged in four sections,
except for vv. 10, 15 & 35, which date from Madina. Verse 21 (III)mentions the dunes in the country of Adin southern Arabia which
provide the chapter with its title.

Here the Prophet is heard pleading with the disbelievers in Mecca. The
chapter also discusses how to treat one's parents (II). "Sprites and the
Quran" is a graphic tale to be found at the end of the chapter (IV)

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * H.M.

PART TWENTY-SIX

Association

*The revelation of the Book [occurs] through God, the Powerful, the Wise. *
We have only created Heaven and Earth, and whatever lies between them for the
Truth and for a specific period, while those who disbelieve are dodging what
they have been warned about. * SAY: "Have you ever seen what you appeal to
instead of to God? Show me what part of earth they have created! Have they any
partnership in Heaven? Bring me a book previous to this one or any other trace
of knowledge if you are so truthful."

False Gods

** Who is further off the track than someone who appeals to something which
will not respond to him until Resurrection Day, instead of to God [Alone]? They
are oblivious [of the fact] that they are being appealed to. * When mankind is
summoned, they will become enemies of theirs and renounce their own worship. *
When Our clear signs are being recited to them, those who disbelieve will remark
about the Truth once it comes to them: 'This is sheer magic!" * Or do they say:
"He has invented it"?

SAY: "Evenif I have invented it, yet do you control anything from God
for me? He is quite Aware of what you are engaged in; He suffices as a Witness
between me and you. He is the Forgiving, the Merciful." * SAY: "Iam no
upstart among messengers. I do not know what will happen to me nor to you. I
only follow what has been inspired in me, and am merely a plain warner."

** SAY: "Have you considered whether it [comes) from God's presence, while
you disbelieve in it? A witness from the Children of Israel has testified
concerning something similar to it; he has believed while you too proud to. God
does not guide wrongdoing folk."

(II) * The ones who disbelieve tell the ones who believe: "If it were
any good, they would not have gotten so far ahead of us on the way toward it."
Yet since they are not guided by it, they will say: "This is an old swindle!" *
Before it, Moses' book served as a model and a mercy, while this is a Book which
confirms such in the Arabic tongue, so as to warn those who do wrong, and fit
forms] an announcement to those who act kind * The ones who say: "Our Lord is
God [Alone]," then proceed straight ahead, will find no fear afflict them nor
will they ever be saddened. * Those will become inhabitants of the Garden,
remaining there forever as areward for what they have been doing.

Treatment of Parents

** We have instructed everyman to be kind to both his parents. His mother
bears him with reluctance, and gives birth to him painfully. Bearing him and
weaning him last thirty months, until when he attains his full growth and
reaches forty years [of age], he says:

A Prayer

"My Lord, train me to be gratefulfor Your favor which you have shown to
me and to both my parents,and to act honorably so You may
approve of it.Improve my offspring for me:I have turned toward You (in
repentance) and am one of those who are committed to (live in) peace
[with God and society].

* Those are the ones from whom We will accept the best out of whatever they
do, while We will overlook their evil deeds since it concerns the occupants of
the Garden, as a true promise which has been made to them

* Anyone who says to his parents: "Phooey on you! Do you promise me that I'll
come forth [from my grave] while generations have passed on before me?",-and
while they both implore God's help: "It will be too bad for you! Believe: God's
promise will come true," he merely says: "These are only legends about primitive
men." * Those are the ones among the nations of sprites and humans who have
passed away before them, against whom the Sentence will be justified. They will
be the losers. * Each will have rank according to whatever they have done, so He
may repay them for their actions and they will not be harmed. ** On the day when
those who disbelieve are exposed to the Fire [they will be told]:

"You used up your wholesome things during worldly life, and enjoyed them.
Today you will be rewarded with humiliating punishment because o how proudly you
acted on earth without any right to do so, and because you were misbehaving."

Ad by the Dunes

(III) * Remember Ad's brother when he warned his folk by the
Dunes (warners have passed away both before and after him): "Will you
worship only God? I fear the torment of an awful day for you!" * They said:
"Have you come to us to turn us against our gods? Bring us what you threaten us
with if you are so truthful." * He said: "Knowledge rests only with God. I am
communicating to you what I have been sent with, even though I see you are a
folk who act out of ignorance."

* When they saw it as a disturbance advancing on their valleys, they said:
"This is some storm which will bring us rain." Rather it was what you sought to
hasten up for yourselves, a wind containing painful punishment, ** which would
demolish everything at its Lord's command. They were found next morning with
only their dwellings still visible. Thus We reward criminal folk! * We had set
them up with something We have not established you with, and granted them
hearing, eyesight and vital organs; yet their hearing, eyesight and vital organs
did not help them out at all. Once they repudiated God's signs, what they had
been making fun of engulfed them.

(IV)* We have wiped out some towns around you; while We have arranged signs
so that they may return. * If only those whom they have adopted as gods in order
to gain access [to Heaven] instead of [trusting] God, had supported them!
Instead they left them in the lurch. That was because of their shamming and of
what they had invented.

Sprites and the Quran

* Once We detailed a platoon of sprites for you so they might listen to the
Quran. When they were present at it, they said: "Hush!" When it was finished,
they went back to their folk as warners. They said: "Our people, we have just
heard a Book sent down after Moses to confirm what came before it. It guides one
to Truth and to a Straight Road. * Our people, answer God's herald and believe
in him! He will forgive you some of your offences and protect you from painful
torment."

* Anyone who does not answer God's herald will never escape on earth, nor
will he have any patrons besides Him, Such people are in obvious error.

* Have they not considered that God, Who created Heaven and Earth, has not
been worn out through creating them since [He is] Able to revive even the dead?
Indeed He is Capable of everything!

* Some day when those who disbelieve are exposed to the Fire [and asked]: "Is
this not real?"; they will say: "Indeed, by our Lord!" He will say: "Well, taste
torment since you were disbelieving."

** Be patient just as those messengers who were steadfast were patient. Do
not try to hurry [things] up for them, since they will seem to have lingered for
only an hour of daylight on the day when they shall see what they have been
promised! [It is] a decree! Yet will only immoral folk be wiped out?

47. Muhammad; (or Fighting)

THIS CHAPTER was revealed after Iron 57 and before Thunder 13,
a following the victory at Badr. It consists of four sections in 38 verse from
Madina, except for v. 18 (II) which was revealed during the Transfer or Hijra in
the year 622 A.D., and possibly v. 3 which came six years la during the truce at
Hudaybiyya in the year 6 / 628. Its rhythm is sustain or punctuated by means of
assonance.

The chapters in the Quran now are becoming noticeably shorter. The name of
the Prophet as a title is found in v. 2 (I), while "fighting" is mentioned in v.
20 (III); these form the alternate titles to the chapter. The topic discussed is
the problem of conduct during warfare (I).

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * God will let the actions of those who disbelieve and obstruct
His way miss their mark, * while He will cancel out the evil deeds and improve
the attitude of those who believe, perform honorable deeds and believe in what
has been sent down to Muhammad - forit is the Truth from their
Lord. * That is because the ones who disbelieve follow falsehood while those who
believe follow the Truth from their Lord. Thus God makes up their comparisons
for mankind.

Conduct in War

Whenever you encounter the ones who disbelieve [during war], seize them by
their necks until once you have subdued them, then tie them up as prisoners,
either in order to release them later on or also to ask for ransom, until war
lays down her burdens. Thus shall you do-; yet if God so wished, Hemight defend Himself from them-in order that some of you may be tested by
means of one another. The ones who have been killed in God's way will never find
their actions have been in vain; ** He will guide them and improve their
attitude * and admit them to the Garden He has acquainted them with.

* You who believe, if you support God, He will support you and steady your
footsteps, * while the ones who disbelieve will feel wretched and their actions
will miss the mark. "That is because they have hated anything God has sent down
and so their actions have miscarried. ** Have they not travelled around the
earth and seen what the outcome was for those who came before them? God
annihilated them, while disbelievers will have the same as they did. * That is
because God is the Protector of those who believe, while disbelievers have no
protector.

(II) * God will admit the ones who believe and perform honorable deeds into
gardens through which rivers flow, while those who disbelieve will enjoy
themselves and eat just as livestock eat, and the Fire will be a lodging for
them. * How many towns have We wiped out which were much stronger than your own
town which has expelled you? They had no supporter. * Is someone who holds on to
evidence from his Lord like someone else whose evil action seems attractive,
while they follow their own whims?

Rivers in the Garden

** [Here] is what the parable of the Garden which the heedful have been
promised will be like: it will have rivers of never stagnant water and rivers of
milk whose flavor never changes, and rivers of wine so delicious for those who
drink it, and rivers of clarified honey. They will have every [sort of] fruit in
it, as well as forgiveness from their Lord. Are they like someone who will
remain for ever in the Fire and they will be given scalding water to drink so it
rips into their bowels?

Hypocrites

* Some of them listen to you until once they have left your presence, they
tell those who have been given knowledge: "What did he say just now?" Those are
the ones whose hearts God has sealed off, they follow their own whims. * Yet He
increases guidance for those who consent to be guided and grants them their
sense of duty.

* Are they just waiting for the Hour to come upon them suddenly.? Its tokens
have already come. Yet how will they [recognize] their Reminder once it comes to
them? * Know that there is no deity except God [Alone], and beg
forgiveness for your offence, as well as for believing men and believing women.
God knows how you (all) bustle about on your business and where you settle down.

(III)** Those who believe say: 'If a chapter were only sent down!";
yet whenever some decisive chapter is sent down and fighting is mentioned
in it, you will see the ones whose hearts contain malice looking at you as if
they were going to faint from [fear of] death. It would be more fitting for them
* to [offer their] obedience and use decent speech; when some matter is
resolved, it would be better for them if they acted sincerely towards God.

Civil War Condemned

* Would you by any chance, if you assumed power, cause havoc on earth and
fight with your own flesh and blood? * Those are the ones whom God has cursed;
He has made them deaf and blinded their eyesight. * Will they not meditate on
the Quran, or do they have locks on their hearts? ** Satan has seduced the ones
who turned their backs after guidance had been explained to them, and he is
dictating to them. * That is because they tell the ones who hate what God has
sent down: "We will obey you (only) in part of what you order." Yet God knows
their secrets!

* How will it be when the angels gather them up, beating them on their faces
and their backs? * That is because they have followed something that exasperates
God and they hate to please Him, so He lets their actions miscarry.

(IV)* Or do those whose hearts contain malice reckon that God will
never expose their grudges? ** If We so wished, We would point them out to you
so you might recognize them by their features. You will still recognize them by
their tone in speaking, while God knows your own actions. * We will test you
till We know those who strive among you as well as those who are patient. We
will test your reactions.

* The ones who disbelieve and obstruct God's way, and oppose the Messenger
even after guidance has been explained to them, will never injure God in any way
while He will let their actions founder. * You who believe, obey God and obey
the Messenger and do not leave your actions useless. * God will never pardon
those who disbelieve and obstruct God is way, then die while they are
disbelievers.

Apostasy

** So do not waver, and appeal for peace while you hold the upper hand. God
is with you and will never let you be cheated in you actions. * Worldly life is
only a game and an amusement, If you believe and do your duty, your wages will
be given you while your wealth will not be requested of you. * If He should ask
you for it, and even dun you, you would act miserably and your grudges would
become apparent. * Here you are, those who are called upon to spend in God's
way, even though some of you are miserly!

Greediness Does Not Pay

Anyone who acts niggardlyis miserly only so far as his own soul is
concerned. God is Transcendent while you are poor. If you should turn
away[from the call of duty and belief], He will replace you with some
other folkwho then will not be like you at all!

48. Victory

THIS CHAPTER of 29 verses arranged in four sections was revealed in the
interval after the truce made at the tree of Hudaybiyya in the sixth year
following the Hijra, or during 628 A.D.; thus it belongs to the Madinese period.
It was revealed after Friday (OR Congregation) 62, when we
consider the sequence of the chapters within the Quran itself.

The chapter mentions political difficulties in section II,while a mob
scene is described in section III.Ultimate victory is promised the
Prophet and believers in section II, which also contains the fable of "The
Sturdy Plant". One great problem facing the early Muslims was how to divide up
or dispose of booty that fell to them in battle; the Prophet did not want any
followers who joined his forces merely in order to acquire it. This chapter
reinforces the Muslim's sense of duty.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * We have opened up a clear victory for you * so God may forgive
you for any offence of yours you have committed previously or whatever you may
do later on, complete His favor toward you and guide you along a Straight Road,
* and so God may support you in a mighty success! * He is the One Who sends down
Serenity on believers' hearts s they may add faith to the faith they already
have.

God [commands] the armies of Heaven and Earth; God is Aware, Wise, ** so that
He may admit believing men and believing women into gardens through which rivers
flow, to live there for ever, and to cancel out their evil deeds for them. That
will be a supreme Achievement with God, * so He may punish hypocritical men and
women as well as associating men and women who conjecture such evil about God;
on them will fall an evil turn of fortune. God has become angry with them, and
has cursed them and prepared Hell for them. How evil is such a goal!

Swearing Allegiance in Islam

* God [commands] the armies of Heaven and Earth. God is Powerful Wise! * We
have sent you as a witness, herald and warner, * so you may (all) believe in God
and His messenger, and revere and honor Him, and glorify Him morning and
evening. ** The ones who swear allegiance to you merely swear allegiance to God.
God's hand rests above their hands, so anyone who breaks his word, only breaks
it at his own peril, while We will pay a splendid fee to anyone who fulfils what
he has pledged [to do] before God.

(II) * Those desert Arabs who have held back will tell you: "Our
property and our families have kept us busy. Seek forgiveness for us!" They say
something with their tongues that is not in their hearts.

SAY: "Who controls anything for you against God, if He should want to cause
you any harm, or wants to offer you some advantage? Rather God is Informed about
whatever you are doing! * Instead you (all) thought that the Messenger and
believers would never come home to their families. That [conduct] seemed
attractive to your hearts while you thought such evil thoughts and were a
worthless folk."

* We have reserved a Blaze for disbelievers, [such as] anyone who will not
believe in God and His messengers. * God holds control over Heaven and Earth. He
forgives anyone He wishes and punishes anyone He wishes; God is Forgiving,
Merciful.

** The ones who held back will say, once you have set out to take some
prizes: "Allow us to follow you!" They want to change God's word. SAY: "You will
never follow us! God has already told you so." Next they will say: "Rather you
envy us." Instead they only understand a little.

* Tell those desert Arabs who have held back: "You will be called upon to
fight against a folk who are extremely violent; you will fight them unless they
surrender. If you obey, God will pay you a handsome fee, while if you turn away
just as you turned away before, He will punish you with painful torment." *
There is no objection for the blind nor is there any objection for the lame, nor
any objection for the sick [if they do not fight]. He will show anyone who obeys
God and His messenger into gardens through which rivers flow, while He will
punish anyone who turns away with painful torment.

(III) * God was pleased with believers as they swore allegiance to you
under the tree. He recognized what was in their hearts and sent down Serenity
upon them, and compensated them with a nearby victory * as well as
many prizes they still may take. God is Powerful, Wise.

** God has promised you will take many prizes; he furnished these promptly
for you and fended men's hands off from you so it might serve as a sign for
believers and guide you along a Straight Road; * God has already included other
things you do not yet have in your possession. God is Capable of everything. *
If those who disbelieve should ever fight you, they will still turn their backs
[and run away]; then they will not find any patron nor supporter, * according to
God's practice which has occurred before.

A Mob Scene at Mecca

You will never rind any change in God's practice! * He is the One Who
fended off their hands from you and your hands from them in the centre of Mecca
after He let you vanquish them. God is Observant of anything you do. ** They are
the ones who disbelieved and blocked you from [reaching] the Hallowed Mosque so
the offerings were hindered from reaching their destination. If it had not been
for some men who believed and some women who believed whom you did not recognize
and would have trampled down, an outrage would have afflicted you because of
them without [your] even knowing it, so that God will show anyone He wishes into
His mercy.

Doing One's Duty

If they had dispersed, We would still have punished those of them who
disbelieved with painful torment. * While those who disbelieved were setting up
fanaticism, the fanaticism of Ignorance in their own hearts, God sent His
serenity down upon His messenger and on believers, and obliged them to respect
the formula of heedfulness. They were truer to it and much more entitled to it.
God is Aware of everything!

Ultimate Victory

(IV) * God has indeed verified the vision for His messenger, so you
may enter the Hallowed Mosque safely, if God wishes, with your heads shaven and
clipped. Do not fear: He knows what you do not know and grants besides that,
a victory nearby. * He is the One Who has sent His messenger with guidance
and the True Religion so He may have it prevail over all (other) religion. God
suffices as a Witness!

Muhammad and Believers

* Muhammad is God's messenger while those who are with him should be
strict with disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You will see them bowing
down, kneeling, craving bounty and approval from God, Their sign [shows] on
their faces from the trace of bowing down on their knees [in worship].

"The Sturdy Plant"

Such is their description in the Torah, while their description in the Gospel
is like a field crop which puts forth its shoots so it swells up, till it grows
thick enough to stand straight on its stalk in the way farmers admire, so that
disbelievers are exasperated by them. God has promised forgiveness and a
splendid fee to any of those who believe and perform honorable deeds.

49. The [Inner] Apartment

THIS IMPORTANT chapter tells a great deal about the Prophet's private life
and his growing concerns of state. It was revealed during the so-called "Year of
Delegations" in 9 / 630, when all of Arabia was finally united in a political
federation, and some sort of protocol had to be set up. Muhammad's own house in
Madina where he had apartments for his numerous family, was becoming the center
for this activity, and his household had to be protected from unexpected
incidents and intruders. (It is now the site for the great mosque with the Green
Dome in Madina.) The chapter consists of only 18 longer Madinese verses arranged
in two sections. They were all revealed after The Pleading Woman 58 and
before Prohibition 66. Here we meet the Prophet as a man with great cares
o state and clearly in need of privacy.

The chapter also deals with social relationships between individual Muslims,
and how to handle gossip and rumor, and to patch up quarrels (I), The next
section furnishes more rules on social behavior and etiquette (II).
Finally we receive recommendations on budding foreign policy and
international law, which at this stage were quite embryonic. Nevertheless these
details are all important.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

Etiquette

(I) * You who believe, do not press forward in the presence of God and
His messenger. Heed God: God is Alert, Aware. * You who believe, do not raise
your voices over the Prophet's voice nor shout at him while [you are] speaking
just as you shout at one another, lest your actions miscarry while you do not
even notice it. * The ones who lower their voices in the presence of God's
messenger are those whose hearts God examines for heedfulness. They will have
forgiveness and a splendid fee. * Most of those who call out to you from outside
the apartments do not use their reason; ** if they would wait patiently
until you came out to [see] them, it would be better for them. God is Forgiving,
Merciful.

Handling Gossip and Rumor

* You who believe, if some scoundrel should come up to you with some piece of
news, clear up the facts lest you afflict some folk out of ignorance, and some
morning feel regretful for what you may have done. * Know that God's messenger
is among you. If he obeyed you in too much of such business, you would fall into
discord; but God has so endeared faith for you that it seems attractive within
your hearts, and made you hate disbelief, immorality and rebelliousness. Such
persons are sensible * through bounty and favor from God. God is Aware, Wise.

Patching Up Quarrels

* Whenever two factions of believers fall out with one another, try to
reconcile them. If one of them should oppress the other, then fight the one
which acts oppressively until they comply with God's command. If they should
comply, then patch things up again between them in all justice, and act fairly.
God loves those who act fairly. ** Believers merely form abrotherhood, so reconcile your brethren and heed God so that you find
mercy.

More On Etiquette OR the Rules for Social Conduct

(II)*You who believe, do not let one [set of] people make fun of
another set; perhaps they are better than they are. Nor let any women [mistreat
other] women; perhaps they are even better than they are themselves. Nor should
you criticize one another, nor insult one another by using nicknames; it is bad
to use a dirty name instead of one you can believe in. Those who do not turn
away from it are wrongdoers

Gossip

* You who believe, refrain from conjecturing too much: even a little
suspicion forms a vice.

Do not spy on one another, nor let any of you backbite others. Would
one of you like to eat his dead brother's flesh? You would loathe it! Heed God,
for God is Relenting, Merciful!

Foreign Policy; International Law

* 0 mankind, We have created you from a male and female, and set you up as
nations and tribes so you may recognize [and cooperate with] one another. The
noblest among you with God is that one of youwho best
performs his duty; God is Aware, Informed.

* The desert Arabs say: "We believe." SAY: "You have not yet believed, but
say [instead]: 'We commit ourselves to [live in] peace'. Yet belief has not
penetrated your hearts. If you obey God and His messenger, He will not slight
you in any of your actions. God is Forgiving, Merciful!"

Who Are Believers

** Believers are merely the ones who believe in God and His messenger;
then never doubt and strive for God's sake with theirproperty and
persons. Those are reliable.

* They want you to feet flattered because they have entered Islam. SAY: "You
do not flatter me with your commitment to [live in] peace; rather God flatters
you, provided you are loyal, since He has guided you to faith. * God knows the
Unseen part of Heaven and Earth. God is observant of anything you do."

50. (The Letter) QAF

THIS CHAPTER was revealed after [Winds] Sent Forth 77 and before
ThisCountryside 90. It consists of 45 middle Meccan verses
arranged in three sections, except for v. 38 (III) which dates from the period
in Madina. Some persons recommend that this chapter be recited on Fridays.

Here we begin a fresh group of seven chapters which date from the Meccan
period. This one deals with man's lack of responsibility, God's care for him
(II), and what will happen on Doomsday (II). It ends with recommendations
concerning the times for prayer (III). The illustrations offered are apocalyptic
and intended to shock disbelievers into thinking about the advantages presented
by Islam.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * Q.

By the majestic Quran!

* Indeed they are astonished that a warner should come to them from among
themselves. Disbelievers say: 'This is an astonishing thing! * Why, when we have
died and become dust, that will mean such a long way to return!"

* We well know how the earth hems them in, and We (also) have a Book to
record it in. ** Rather they denied the Truth when it came to them, so (now)
they are in a confused state. * Have they not seen how We have built the sky
above them and made it seem attractive? There are no flaws in it. * And We have
spread the earth out and cast headlands upon it, and grown every sort of lovely
species on it * as a token and Reminder for every repentant worshipper. * We
have sent down blessed water from the sky and We grow gardens with it as well as
grain to be harvested, ** and soaring palms which have compact clusters as
sustenance for worshippers. We have revived a dead countryside with it; thus
will (your) reappearance be.

* Before them, Noah's folk denied it, and the companions at the Well, and
Thamud, * Ad,and Pharaoh, as well as Lot's brethren, * the inhabitants
of the Forest, and the people of Tubbac; each rejected messengers, so My warning
was confirmed. ** Were We worn out by the first creation? Yet they are in a
quandary about any fresh creation!

God's Care

(II)* We have created man and know what his soul is whispering
within him. We are Closer to himthan his jugular
vein!* When both encountering [angels] meet, seated to the
right and to the left, * he will utter no statement unless he has an
observer on hand ready to note it down.

Doomsday

*The agony of death will come [and confront you] with the Truth; that is what
you have been trying to escape! ** The Trumpet shall be blown: that will be the
day of the Threat!

* Every soul shall come along; each will have a driver and a witness: * "You
have been so heedless of this, that We have removed your blinders from you so
your sight may be keen today!" * His soulmate will say: "All this lying before
me needs to be checked into; * let us both toss every stubborn disbeliever into
Hell, ** [since he is] hindering good, aggressive, suspicious, * someone who has
set up some other deity alongside God! Toss him into severe torment!"

* His soulmate will say: "Our Lord, I did not make him act arrogantly, but he
was gone too far astray." * He will say: "Do not argue in My presence! I had
already sent the Threat ahead to you (all)! * The sentence will not be changed
within My presence, nor am I unjust towards My worshippers."

(III)**On the day We shall say to Hell: "Are you filled up.",
it will say: "Are there any more to be added?"

Paradise

* The Garden will be brought up a short distance from the heedful; "This is
what you have been promised, for everyone who turns to observe it, * who lives
in awe of the Mercy-giving, even though [He is] Unseen, and comes with a
repentant heart. * Enter it peacefully; that is the day that will last for
ever." ** "They will have anything they wish in it, and more besides [when they
are] in Our presence.

* How many generations have We wiped out before them? They were much braver
than they are and stormed through the land. Yet had they any escape? * In that
is a Reminder for anyone who has a heart or lends an ear while he [also] acts as
a witness.

Times of Prayer

* We created Heaven and Earth and whatever lies in between them six days,
while no weariness ever affects Us. * So be patient about anything they may say,
and hymn your Lord's praise before the sun's rising and before its setting, **
and at night. Glorify Him whenever you finish bowing down on your knees.

* Listen for the day when the Crier will call out from a nearby place, * a
day when they will really hear the Blast; that will be the day to reappear in! *
It is We Who give life and bring death, and toward Us lies the goal * on a day
when the earth will split open quickly because of them. Such a mustering will be
easy for Us.

** We are quite Aware of what they say: you should not be too demanding on
them. Remind anyone who fears My warning by means of the Quran.

51. Winnowing [Winds]

THIS HIGHLY mystic chapter, as the title suggests, deals with Abraham and
other prophets. It contains 60 early Meccan verses in three sections, and was
revealed after The Dunes 46 and before The Pall 88.

The end (III)concerns divine worship and our duty towards God. SEE
also Chapter 77 on [Winds] Sent Forth and The Chargers 100
for similar apocalyptic pictures. The shorter verses are now very apparent.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) By the Winnowing [Winds]* and those bearing a burden*
and the ones blowing gently* and those delivering a command,** whatever
you are promisedis certain! Doomis about to occur!

* By the sky full of orbits, * you (all) have different ways of saying
things, * to brush off anyone who may be brushed off. ** Damned will be guessers
* who are dazed with excitement.

*They ask: "When will Doomsday be?" * Some day they will be tested over the
Fire: "Taste your test! This is what you wanted to hurry up.

The Heedful (Those Who do their Duty)

** The heedful will be in gardens and by springs * partaking of whatever
their Lord has given them. They had acted kindly even before that; * they used
to slumber only a portion of the night * while in vigils towards dawning they
sought forgiveness. * The beggar and the destitute had some right to their
wealth.

** On earth there are signs for the convinced, * and even within yourselves;
do you not notice them? * In the sky is your sustenance and whatever you are
promised; * so by the Lord of Heaven and Earth, it is the Truth just the same as
you have been uttering!

Abraham

(II)*Has the report of Abraham's honored guests ever come to
you, ** when they entered his home and said: "Peace [be upon you]!"? He said:
"[On you be] peace!" [even though] they were people he did not know. * So he
slipped off to his family and fetched a fattened calf, * and brought it up to
them. He said: "Will you not eat?"

* He felt a fear concerning them. They said: "Dont be afraid," and gave him
the news of a clever lad. * His wife came up sighing, and struck her face and
said: "[I'm] a barren old hag!" ** They said: "Even so did your Lord say. He is
the Wise, the Aware!

PART TWENTY-SEVEN

(IIcont'd) * He said: "Yet what is your errand, 0 emissaries?" * They
said: "We have been sent to a criminal folk, * to launch clay pellets on them *
marked by your Lord for the dissipated." ** So We brought out anyone there who
were believers, * though We found only one house with Muslims in it. * We left a
sign there for those who fear painful torment.

* And with Moses when We sent him off with clear authority to Pharaoh, * who
turned away with his warlords and said: "[He's either] a magician or a madman!"
** We seized him and his troops and hurled them into the deep while he was to
blame.

Moses and Other Prophets

* And with Ad, when We loosed a devastating wind on them: * it left nothing
that it chanced upon without turning it into rubble. * And with Thamud when
someone told them: "Enjoy things for a while!" * They strutted around against
their Lord's command, as the Thunderbolt caught them while they were looking on.
** They were unable to withstand it nor were they supported. * And Noah's people
had already been such immoral folk.

(III) * The sky We have built firmly and We are extending it. * The
earth have We spread out; how Blissful is the One Who has smoothed it off! *
With everything We have created pairs so that you may be reminded; ** so flee to
God: "I am a plain warner to you from Him!

* "Do not place any other deity alongside God [Alone]: I am a plain warner to
you from Him. * Thus no messenger ever came to those who preceded them unless
they said: '[He's] a magician or a madman!' * Do they recommend it to one
another? Yet they are such arrogant folk. * Turn away from them; you are not to
blame! ** Remind, for reminding benefits believers."

Man's Duty Towards God

* I have only created sprites and men so they may worship Me; * I do not want
any sustenance from them nor do I need them to feed me. * God is the Provider,
wielding sturdy strength. * The ones who do wrong have offences just like their
companions' offences, so do not let them ask Me to hurry things up. ** It will
be too bad for those who disbelieve on their day which has been promised them!

52. The Mount

THIS CHAPTER of 49 Meccan verses is arranged in two sections. It was revealed
after Worship (Bowing Down on Your Knees) 32 and before Control
67.

Its chief quality lies in its poetic mood which describes both Doomsday and
Bliss (I),plus offering a long and direct challenge to disbelievers.
This includes Muhammad's classic rebuttal (II)-forwhich SEE Chapter 21
on Prophets as well. The Prophet himself said that this chapter helps one
believe in God and also in either His punishment or His favor.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * By the Mount * and a Book recorded* on unrolled
parchment,* and the thriving House** with the roof raised [over
it],* and the swollen sea,* your Lord's torment is bound to happen!*
No one will avert it * on a day when the sky will shift about ** and the
mountains travel around.

* It will be too bad on that day for rejectors * who play around with
speculation, * on the day they will be pushed firmly towards Hell fire: *"This is the Fire which you have been denying. ** Is this magic or dont you
notice anything? * Roast in it! Whether you act patient or impatient, it will be
all the same for you; you are merely being rewarded for what you have been
doing."

Bliss OR Delight

* The heedful will be in gardens and bliss, * delighted with whatever their
Lord has given them. Their Lord has shielded them from the torment of Hades: *
'Eat and drink at leisure because of what you have been doing." ** Relaxing on
couches all lined up, We will pair them off with dark-eyed damsels!.

* We shall unite those who believe and whose offspring have followed them in
faith with their offspring. We will not deprive them of any action of theirs in
any way; each man is a pledge for whatever he hasearned. * We
will spread out any fruit and meat for them such as they may desire. * They will
compete for a cup there in which no idle talk nor any faultfinding lurks. *
Young men of theirs will pass around among them as if they were treasured
pearls.

** Some of them will step forward to question one another; * they will say:
"We were anxious about our family previously, * yet God has compensated us and
shielded us from the torment of [Hell's] scorching breath. * We have long since
appealed to Him; He is the Virtue-granting, the Merciful!"

Muhammad's Rebuttal to Skeptics

(II)*Remind, for by your Lord's favor, you are no fortune-teller nor
any madman. ** Or do they say: "[He's] a poet! We'll wait for some quirk of fate
to [upset] him." * SAY: "Lie in wait; for I am waiting along with you."

* Do their fancies order them to do this or are they arrogant folk?" * Or do
they say: "He has talked it all up"? Rather they do not believe. * Let them
bring a report like it if they are so truthful.

** Or were they created out of nothing, or are they their own creators? * Or
did they create Heaven and Earth? Rather they will never be convinced.

* Do they hold on to your Lord's treasures, or are they even in charge of
them? * Or have they some ladder from which to eavesdrop? Let their eavesdropper
bring some clear authority!

* Or has He daughters while you have sons? ** Or are you asking them for some
fee so they will feel weighted down with debt? * Do they have the Unseen which
they are writing down? * Or do they want [to hatch] some plot, while those who
disbelieve are themselves being plotted against?

* Or do they have some other deity instead of God [Alone]? Glory be to God
ahead of anything they may associate [with Him]!

* If they ever saw some object falling out of the sky, they would say: 'Some
clouds have been piled up."

** Leave them alone till they encounter their day in which they will be
stunned, * a day when their plotting will not help them out at all nor will they
be supported. * The ones who act unjustly will have torment beyond that, even
though most of them do not realize it.

Times of Prayer

* Act patiently towards your Lord's discretion since you are under Our eyes.
Hymn your Lord's praise whenever you arise, * and at night glorify Him
occasionally, and as the stars fade away.

53. The Star

THIS CHAPTER was revealed after Sincerity (OR [God's] Oneness)
112, and before He Frowned! 80. It consists of three sections contain
total of 62 early Meccan verses, except for v. 32 which dates from Ma The star
referred to is variously stated to be either the morning and star which is
called Venus in Western terminology, or else the dogs Sirius mentioned in III,
or perhaps the cluster of the Pleiades.

This chapter too is mystical and soaring in spirit, for it concerns the
Miraj or Ascension of the Prophet which is also described at the
beginning of The Night Journey 17 (I). The first section announces
Muhammad's call to prophethood and explains how intercession is of no avail;
while the second emphasizes that God is Just. The complete vision is superb and
should be studied carefully for inspiration.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I)* By The Star as it sets, * your companionhas neither strayed
nor is he misguided.* He does not speak from some whim; * it is merely
inspiration that is revealed [to him].

The Sublime Vision

** Someone firm in strength has taught him, someone possessing such
ability that he soared up * and stood, poised at the highest [point on
the] horizon. * Then he approached and came right down, * and stood two
bow-lengths off or even closer. ** He inspired whatever he inspired in
His servant. * His vitals did not deny whatever he saw. * Yet will you
(all) distrust him about what he [actually] saw?

* He saw him in
another descent * near the Hawthorne on the Boundary ** alongside the
Garden of Repose. * When whatever covered the Hawthorn covered it, * his
eyesight did not falter nor was it carried away. * He sawsome of his
Lord's greatest signs!

Futile Goddesses

* Have you (all) considered al-Lat and al-Uzza, ** and Manat the other [who
ranks] in third place? * Do you have sons while He has daughters? * That would
then be an unfair attribution! * They are only some names which you and your
forefathers have called them; God has not sent down any authority for them. They
merely follow conjecture and something their souls fancy.

Yet guidance has already reached them from their Lord. * Or may man have
anything he hankers for? ** Yet God still holds the Last as well as the First!

Intercession Does Not Help

(II) * How many angels are there in Heaven whose intercession does not
help in any way except after God permits it, for whomever He wishes and approves
of? * The ones who do not believe in the Hereafter call the angels by the names
of females. Yet they have no knowledge about it; they only follow guesswork.
Conjecture will not help out in any way against the Truth, * so shun anyone who
avoids mentioning Us and only wants [to enjoy] worldly life; ** that will be
their range of knowledge.

God is Just

Your Lord is quite Aware as to who has strayed from His path, just as He is
quite Aware as to who is guided; * God possesses whatever is in Heaven and
whatever is on Earth, so He may reward the ones who commit evil according to
whatever they have done while He rewards the ones who act kindly with [equal]
kindness.

* Those who refrain from the greatest vices and sexual offences, except for
oversights (will find] your Lord is Boundless when it comes to forgiveness.

He was quite Aware of you when He produced you from the earth and when you
were still embryos in your mothers' wombs. Do not try to justify yourselves; He
is quite Aware as to who has done his duty.

(III)*Have you seen someone who turns away? * He has given
little, and even skimps at that! ** Has he such knowledge about the Unseen that
he can (actually) see [it]? * Or has he not been notified about what was on
Moses' scrolls * and on Abraham's, who always kept his word:

*"That no burdened soul shall bear another's burden.*That everyman
receives only what he makes an effort for:**so his effort shall be
noticed;*then he will be rewarded to the fullest extent.

Moses' and Abraham's Message: Cause and Effect

*"And that towards your Lord lies the finalEnd; * and He makes (us)
both laugh and cry; * He brings death and grants life. ** He has createdboth
sexes, male and female, * from a drop of semen which has been ejected. * On Him
[rests your] next appearance.

* "He grants wealth and riches;* He is even Lord of the Dogstar!

** "Yet He wiped out the first [nation] of Ad *and Thamud, and left
nothing over, * and even Noah's folk previously, who had been most unjust and
arrogant. * And he fell upon the Overthrown [Towns], * and covered them up with
whatever covered them."

** So which of your Lord's benefits will you distrust? * This is a warner
just like the early warners. * What is imminent is approaching; * there is
nothing besides God to remove it!

BOW DOWN HERE

* Are you amazed at this report? ** You laugh, and do notweep * while you
hold your heads so high!* Bow down on your knees to Godand
worship [Him]!

54. The Moon (or The Hour Approaches)

THIS CHAPTER was revealed after The Nightcomer 86 and before
(TheLetter) Sad 38. It consists of three sections
of 55 early Meccan verses, except for vv. 44-46 in section III which date from
Madina. A prevailing rhyme uses -r as a final consonant. The chapter
moreover bears the haunting refrain which is first stated in vv. 16-17: "How
were My torment and My warnings!"

This refrain underlines how prophets like Noah, Hud (I), Salih and Lot (II)
were rejected by their own people in times past, Hud by Ad, and Salih by Thamud.
Thus Muhammad should take comfort for himself. The fate of Pharaoh is also
mentioned in the final section (III), which ends in an apocalyptic description
of the final Hour which is intended to shock disbelievers and associators into
meditating on their errors.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I) * The Hour approaches and the Moon is splitting apart! *
Yet if they see any sign, they avoid it and say: 'It's constant magic!" * They
deny [it all] and follow their own whims, even though every matter has been
settled.

* News has come to them containing a rebuke, ** as eloquent wisdom, even
though warners can get nowhere. * So turn away from them on the day when the
Crier will call out about a horrible event. * Their eyes cast down, they will
issue forth from their tombs as if they were scattered grasshoppers * dashing
along towards the Crier. Disbelievers will say: "This is such a hard day!"

Noah

* Noah's folk denied it long before them; they rejected Our servant and said:
"[He's] crazy!", and he was rebuffed. ** He appealed to his Lord: "I have been
overpowered, so support [me]!" * So We opened Heaven's gates for water to pour
down. * We drilled the earth full of springs and the waters met at a command
which had been decreed. * We transported him on something built with planks and
caulking * which sailed on before Our eyes, as a reward for someone who had been
rejected. ** We left it as a sign; yet will anyone bear it in mind?

* How were My torment, and My warnings?* We have made the Quran
easy to memorize;yet will anyone [bother to] memorize it?

Ad

* Ad rejected it. How were My torment, and My warnings? * We sent a howling
gale against them on a day full of continuous misfortune ** which snatched men
up as if they were hollow palm trunks.

* How were My torment, and My warnings!* We have made the Quran
easy to memorize;yet will anyone memorize it?

Thamud and Salih

(II) *Thamud rejected My warnings too * and they said: "Are we to
follow a single human being from among ourselves? We would then be in error and
frenzy. ** Has the Reminder been delivered merely to him among Us? Instead he is
a brash liar."

* Tomorrow they will know who the brash liar is! * We are sending them a
she-camel as a test, so watch them and act patient. * Announce to them how water
must be shared among them; each will have his own special time to drink. * They
called out to their companion; and he assumed the task and hamstrung [her].

** How were My torment, and My warnings? * (We sent a single Blast
against them so they [lay] like dry stalks caught in a fence corner.)
* We have made the Quran easy to memorize;yet will anyone
[bother to] memorize it?

Lot and Sodom

* Lot's people rejected the warnings. * We sent a sandstorm against them,
except for Lot's own household whom We saved at daybreak ** as a favor from
Ourself; thus We reward anyone who acts grateful. * He had warned them of Our
onslaught, yet they discredited the warnings. * They tried to coax his guests
away from him, so We dazzled their eyes. "Taste My torment and My warnings!" *
Early one, morning, unavoidable torment dawned upon them.

* "Taste My torment and My warnings!"** We have made the
Quran easy to memorize;yet will anyone memorize it?

Pharaoh

(III) *Warnings came to Pharaoh's court. * Yet they rejected Our
signs completely, so We seized them the way a Powerful, Competent person would
seize [them]. * Are your disbelievers any better than those men were, or have
you some dispensation [to be found] in the Psalms? * Or do they say: "We all
support one another"?

The Hour of Bitter Disaster

** They will all be defeated together and turn their backs [to run away]. *
Indeed the Hour has been promised them; the Hour will be quite disastrous and
most bitter. * Criminals will be lost in error and frenzy. * Some day they will
be dragged face down through the Fire: "Experience the sense of scorching!"

* We have created everything in due proportion. ** Our command comes only
once, in the twinkling of an eye! * We wiped out your adherents; does no one
recall it? * Everything they did is [to be found] in the Psalms; * everything
small or great has been recorded. * The heedful will be by gardens and a river
** in asure position under a Competent Sovereign.

55. The Mercy Giving

THIS APOCALYPTIC chapter containing 78 verses was completed Thunder
13 and before Everyman (ORThis Day and Age) 76. It possibly
be an early Meccan revelation. God in His role as ar-Rahma 'The
Mercy-giving? is also expounded in Chapter 19 on Mary.

Another unifying refrain similar to that in Psalm 136 and its refrain on how
the Lord's "mercy endureth for ever" runs through this chapter: which of your
Lord's blessings will both of you deny?". This is repeat times, carried along on
rhyme or assonance (in -an) in a strophic form. measured prose is very
effective; the chapter is in fact a long poem de with proofs of God's favors.
Duals or pairs give it another specialfigure which is difficult to bring
out through English verbs or nouns.

Its inspiring message also describes the future life which is offered the
faithful, while there is a passage on Creation at the end of section (I). Hell
(II) and Heaven (III)are likewise pictured.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(I)*The Mercy-giving, * has taught the Reading,* created
man, * taught him self-expression.

Natural Phenomena

** The sun and moon [move along] like clockwork,* shrubs and trees both
bend in worship;* while He has raised the sky up and placed scales
[there]* so you may not skimp in weighing.* Always measure accurately
with [all]fairness and do not give short weight!

** The earth has He
laid out for humanity,* offering fruit, datepalms bearing blossoms,*
grain wrapped up in husks, and fragrant herbs.* So which of your Lord's
benefitswill both of you deny?

Creation

* He created man from ringing clayjust as a potter does, ** while He
createdsprites from the glow in fire.* So which of your Lord's benefits
will you both deny?

* Lord of both Easts and Lord of both Wests!* So which of our Lord's
benefitswill both of you deny?

* He has loosed both seas which
still come together;** between them lies an isthmus which neither tries
to cross.* So which of your Lord's benefitswill both of you
deny?

* He produces pearls and coral from them both;* so which of our
Lord's benefitswill both of you deny?

* His are the vessels looming
up like landmarks on the sea;* so which of ourLord's
benefitswill both of you deny?

(II)*Everyone upon it will
disappear * while your Lord's face will remain full of majesty and
splendor,* So which of our Lord's benefitswill both of you
deny?

* Everyone in Heaven and Earth asks for something from Him;
each day He is [Busy] at some task. ** So which of our Lord's
benefitswill both of you deny?

* We shall finish off both loads for
you; * so which of our Lord's benefitswill both of you
deny.?

Exploring Space

* 0 company of sprites and humankind,if you can manage to penetrate
beyond the realms of Heaven and Earthand then pass beyond them! Yet you
will only penetrate them through some authority. * So which of our
Lord's benefitswill both of you deny?

Hellfire

** A flare of fireand sparks will be loosed against you,
from whichneither of you will be protected;* so which of our Lord's
benefitswill both of you deny?

* When the sky splits open and
becomeslike a rose [painted] by some artist,* so which of your Lord's
benefitswill both of you deny?

* On that day, no man nor any
spritewill be questioned about any offence of his;** so which of your
Lord's benefitswill both of you deny?

* Criminals will be recognized
by their features, and seized by their forelocks and feet;* so which of
your Lord's benefits will both of you deny?

* Such is Hell, which
criminals deny exists. They will circle around between it and a seething
bath.* So which of your Lord's benefits will both of you deny?

Paradise

(III)*Yet anyone who fears to stand before his Lord will have
two gardens* so which of your Lord's benefits will
both of you deny?

* Both containing many sorts of things* so which of
your Lord'swill both of you deny?

** Each will have two flowing
springs;* so which of your Lord's benefits will both of you
deny?

* Each will have a pair >for ever kind of fruit;* so
which of your Lord's benefits will both of you deny?

* They will
recline on couches upholstered in brocade while the harvest from both
orchardsdroops nearby;* so which of your Lord's benefitswill both of
you deny?

*Bashful maidens will be there whom no human being has
tampered with previously, nor an sprite.* So which of your Lord's
benefitswill both of you deny?

* They will be like rubies and
coral;* so which of your Lord's benefitswill both of you deny?** Is
there any reward for kindnessexcept kindness itself?* So which of your
Lord's benefits will both of you deny?

Two Extra Gardens

* Besides both of these, there will be two
extra gardens;* so which of your Lord's benefitswill both of
you deny?

* Both densely shaded;* so which of your Lord's benefits
will both of you deny?* Each will have two splashing fountains; * so
which of your Lord's benefitswill both of you deny'?

Both will have
fruit, datepalms and pomegranates;* so which of your Lord's benefits
will both of you deny?

In them there will be the best, the
fairest women!* So which of your Lord's benefits will both of you
deny?

* Bright-eyed damsels sheltered in pavilions; * so which of
your Lord's benefits will both of you deny?

* Whom no human being has
tainted previously, nor any sprites! * So which of your Lord's benefits
will both of you deny?

* They will lean back on green cushions
and handsome carpets;* so which of your Lord's benefits will both of
you deny?

* Blessed be your Lord's name,Possessor of
Majesty and Splendor!

56. The Inevitable

THIS CHAPTER was revealed after Ta-Ha 20 and
before Believers 23 and Poets 26. It forms the last of the
seven early Meccan chapters to be found in this present grouping. All of its 96
verses date from Mecca, except for vv. 81-82 (in section III)which are
from Madina.

An urgent message and strophic form underlies the chapter's rhythm. The
poetic vision here suggests that life is a race, and it speaks of future
rewards. We meet three groups: first the 'Pioneers"; then "Those on the Right"
(I); and finally "Those on the Left" (II). In the last section (III) the Quran
itself is discussed.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

The Last Judgement

(I) * When the Inevitable arrives* no one will deny its happening,
* humbling, exalting!

The Pioneers

* The earth will be rocked with a jolt ** and the mountains crumble to pieces
* and become dust that is scattered about. * You will form three groups: * the
Companions on the Right (What do the Companions on the Right [mean]?); * the
Companions on the Left (What do the Companions on the Unlucky side [mean]?); **
and the Pioneers will be out there leading!

Paradise

* Those will be the nearest * in gardens of bliss, * a multitude from early
men * and a few from later ones ** on couches set close together, * leaning back
on them, facing one another. * Immortal youths will stroll around them * with
glasses, pitchers, and a cup from a fountain * which will not upset them nor
dull their senses; ** and any fruit that they may choose, * and the meat from
any fowl they may desire; * and bright-eyed damsels [chaste] just like treasured
pearls, * as a reward for what they have been doing. ** They will not hear any
idle talk there nor any fault-finding, * merely people saying: "Peace! Peace!"

Those on the Right

* The Companions on the Right- * what about the Companions on the Right? *
[They will be] among hawthoms trimmed of their thorns, * and bananas piled bunch
on bunch, ** with their shade spread out, * water pouring forth, * and plenty of
fruit * which is neither rationed nor forbidden, * and padded furniture raised
[off the floor]. ** We have produced special women * and made them (ever)
virgins, * easy to get along with and of their same age, * for the Companions on
the Right, * a multitude from early men ** as well as a multitude from later
ones.

Those on the Left

(II)* The Companions on the Unlucky side, what about the Companions on
the Left? * In a scorching wind, scalding water, * and the shade of pitch-black
smoke, * which is neither cool nor refreshing. ** They had been luxuriating
before that happened * and persisted in awesome blasphemy, * and kept on saying:
'When we have died and become dust and bones, will we be raised up again? *
Along with our earliest forefathers?"

* SAY: "The earlier and the later ones will be gathered together for an
appointment on a well-known day. Then you mistaken rejectors * will be eating
something from the Infernal Tree, * filling (your) bellies with it * and
drinking scalding water in addition, ** lapping it up, the way thirsty [camels]
drink."

God's Role in Reproduction

* Such will be their fare on the Day for Repayment! * We created you, if you
would only acknowledge it. * Have you ever considered what you emit? * Did you
create it, or are We its Creators? ** We have ordained death for (all of) you;
no one will get ahead to prevent Us * from changing your attributes, and
transforming you into something you would never recognize.

* You know about the first transformation, if you will only recall it. * Have
you considered what you plant as crops? * Do you farm it or are We the Farmers?
** If We so wished, We would turn it into chaff so you would do nothing but
exclaim: * "We are debt-ridden; * in fact, we are destitute!"

* Have you ever considered the water you drink? * Do you pour down from the
rainclouds or are, We its Pourers? ** If We so wished, We might make it
brackish. If you would only act grateful!

* Have you considered the Fire you kindle? * Are you the ones who grow its
trees [for firewood] or are We their Growers? * We have granted it as a Reminder
and enjoyment for those living in the wilderness.

* So celebrate your Lord's almighty name!

The Quran

(III)**Yet I swear by the stars' positions * (it is a serious
oath, if you only knew it!) * that it is a Noble Quran *
[kept] as a treasured Book * which none but the purified may
touch, **something sent down by the Lord of the Universe.

* Are you (all) trying to dodge this report? * Are you making [the
fact] that you reject it into your means of livelihood? *
Why not

The Arrogant Challenged

-when [your soul] leaps to your throat [at death] * and you are then
observing, ** (We are even Nearer to it than you are, even though you do not
notice it)-

* provided you are not under any obligation, * answer back if you are
truthful...!

* Thus if he is one of those who are drawn close * [he will have]
contentment, fragrance, and a garden of bliss- ** while if he is one of the
Companions on the Right: "Peace be on you" [will be the greeting) from the
Companions on the Right.

* However if he is one of the mistaken rejectors * a welcome of scalding
water * plus a roasting in Hades [will await him]. ** This is the absolute
Truth;

* So celebrate our Lord's almighty name!

57. Iron

THIS CHAPTER containing 29 verses in four sections from the Madinese period
was revealed after The Earthquake 99 and before Muhammad 47. It is
composed in a different style from those immediately before and after it,
because its verses are longer, like those found in other chapters composed in
Madina.

It begins in a lyric mood with a hymn to God's omnipresence (i)and
then presents a picture of hypocrites begging for light to guide them (ii).
Other subjects discussed are showers of rain (iii),different
prophets (iv), monasticism and finally God's bounty or grace. Iron, which
gives the chapter its title, is mentioned as the source of physical power (iii).

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

A Hymn to God

(i) * Whatever is in Heaven and Earth celebrates God. He is
the Powerful, the Wise!

God's Omnipresence

* He holds control over Heaven and Earth.He grants life and brings
death; He is Capable of everything! * He is the First and the Last,
the Outward and the Innermost. He is Aware of everything!

And Omniscience

* He is the One Who created Heaven and Earth in six days; then He
mounted on the Throne. He knows what penetrates the earth and what
issues from it, and what comes down from the sky and what soars up into
it.He is with you (all) wherever you may be!God is Observant of anything
you do.

** He holds control over Heaven and Earth; unto God do
matters return.* He wraps night up in daytime;and wraps daytime up in
night.He is Aware of whatever is on our minds.

* Believe in God and His messenger, and spend something out of whatever He
has let you inherit [from anyone else]. Those of you who believe and spend [on
charity and in public service] will have an even larger fee. * What is wrong
with you that you do not believe in God and the Messenger? He invites you (all)
to believe in your Lord; He has made an agreement with you, provided you are
believers.

Early and Late Believers

* He is the One Who has sent down clear signs upon His servant, so he may
lead you out of darkness into Light. God is so Gentle, Merciful with you. **
What is wrong with you that you do not spend anything for God's sake? God holds
the heritage of Heaven and Earth. Those among you who have spent and fought
before the victory are not equal: those stand higher in rank than the ones who
spent and fought later on. God has promised each one the very finest. God is
Informed about whatever you do.

(ii) * Who is the one who will advance God a handsome loan? He will double it
for him so he [will receive] a generous fee. * Some day you will see believing
men and believing women with their light streaming on ahead of them and off to
their right: "Your good news today [consists of] gardens through which rivers
flow, to live in for ever!" That will be the splendid Achievement.

Hypocrites Begging Light

* Some day hypocritical men and hypocritical women will tell the ones who
believe: "Wait for us; we need to borrow a fight from you!" Someone will say:"Go
on back the way you came, and request a light [somewhere else]!"

Their Wall

So a wall will rise up between them which will have a door in it; inside
there will be mercy while outside facing it there will be torment. * They will
call out to them: "Were we not with you?"

They will say: "Of course, but you tempted one another, and let yourselves
waver and doubt. [Your saying] 'Amens' [to everybody] has deceived you till
God's command came along. The Deceiver has even deluded you concerning God! **
So today no redemption will be accepted from you nor from those who disbelieve:
your lodging shall be the Fire; it is your patron and how awful is such a goal!"

* Is it not high time for the hearts of those who believe to submit to God's
reminder and any truth that has been sent down? Let them not act like the ones
who were given the Book previously: the waiting period seemed too long for them,
so their hearts were hardened, and many of them became immoral. * Know that God
revives the earth following its death. We have explained signs to you so that
you may use your reason.

* Charitable men and charitable women who have advanced God a handsome loan
will have it doubled for them; they shall have a generous fee. * Those who
believe in God and His messengers act sincerely, and serve as witnesses for
their Lord, will have their earnings plus their own light, while those who
disbelieve and reject Our signs will become the inmates of Hades.

Worldly Life

(iii) ** Know that worldly life is merely a sport and a pastime
[involving] worldly show and competition among yourselves, as well as rivalry in
wealth and children. It may be compared to showers where the plantlike amazes
the incredulous: then it withers away and you see it turning yellow; soon it
will be just stubble. In the Hereafter there will be both severe torment and
forgiveness as well as approval on the part of God. Worldly life means only the
enjoyment of illusion.

* Compete for forgiveness from your Lord, and a garden broader than the sky
plus the earth, which has been prepared for those who believe in God and His
messenger. Such is God's bounty which He gives to anyone He wishes. God
possesses splendid bounty!

Predestination

* No disaster ever happens on earth nor to yourselves unless it is
[contained] in a Book even before We brought it into existence. That is easy for
God [to do], * so that you should not feel sorry about what may have escaped
you, nor yet rejoice in what He has given you. God does not love every conceited
boaster * who is miserly and orders people to be miserly. For anyone who turns
away from it, God is Transcendent, Praiseworthy.

Human Behavior

** We have sent Our messengers with explanations, and sent the Book and the
Balance down along with them, so that mankind may conduct themselves with all
fairness. We have sent iron down laden with grim violence as well as
(other) benefits for mankind, so that God may know who supports Him and His
messengers even though [He is] Unseen. God is Strong, Powerful.

Other Prophets

(iv) * We sent Noah and Abraham, and granted prophethood and the Book to the
offspring of them both. Some of them have accepted guidance while many of them
have been immoral. * Then We made Our messengers follow along in their footsteps
and We followed them up with Jesus the son of Mary.

Christians and Monastcism

We gave him the Gospel and placed compassion and mercy in the hearts of those
who have followed him, as well as monkhood; yet theyinitiated
it: We did not prescribe it for them-accept through (their) aspiring for
God's approval. They do not observe it in the way it should be observed. We gave
their earnings to those of them who believe; yet many of them are immoral.

God's Bounty OR Grace

* You who believe, heed God and believe in His messenger; He will give you
double shares in His mercy and grant you a fight to walk by as well as forgive
you. God is Forgiving, Merciful, * so let the People of the Book know they can
do nothing about God's bounty, since bounty lies [entirely] in God's hand. He
gives it to anyone He wishes. God possesses such tremendous grace!

58. The Pleading Woman (or God Has Heard...)

THIS CHAPTER of 22 verses arranged in three sections dates from Madina, like
the previous one. It was revealed after the one on Hypocrites 63 and
before The [Inner] Apartments 49. This thus makes it the second of the
two Madinese chapters which are placed here, as one can see with its longer
verses and more involved paragraphs. Its theme condemning arrogant conduct
likewise gives it an affinity to the beginning of Chapter 24 Light
(sections i-iii).

The woman referred to was Khawla bint-Thalaba, and the incident refers to her
domestic problems. The mock divorce of the pagan Arabs which bound the rejected
wife to her household chores is condemned at the very beginning of the chapter
(i).The chapter also contains some lyrical passages concerning God's
awareness of everything, especially of intrigue. Manners at meetings and
parliamentary procedure are discussed in section ii.

PART TWENTY-EIGHT

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(i) * God has heard the speech of the woman pleading with you
about her husband, and complaining to God. God hears whatever you both discuss;
God is Alert, Observant.

Mock Divorce Condemned

* Those among you who back away from their wives even though they are not
their mothers (their mothers are only the ones who have given birth to them) are
making a dishonorable statement as well as twisting things around. Yet God is
Pardoning, Forgiving. * The ones who back away from their wives [as if they were
their mothers], then retract whatever they have said, should free a captive
before either of them may touch one another [again]. That you are instructed to
do; God is Informed about anything you do. * Whoever does not find such [a
captive to free], should then fast for two consecutive months before either of
them may touch one another. Anyone who is still unable [to conform] should then
feed sixty paupers.

That is [laid down] so you may believe in God and His messenger; such are
God's limits. Disbelievers will have painful torment! ** The ones who want to
limit God and His messenger will be restrained just as those before them were
restrained. We have sent down clear signs: disbelievers will have disgraceful
torment. * Some day God will raise them all up again and notify them about
anything they have done. God has calculated it while they have forgotten it. God
is a Witness for everything!

Intrigue God is Everwhere

(ii) * Have you not considered how God knows whatever is in Heaven and
whatever is on Earth? No private conversation ever takes place among three
[persons] unless He is their Fourth, nor among five unless He is their Sixth,
nor [any number] less than that nor greater unless He is with them, wherever
they may be. Then on Resurrection Day, He will notify them about whatever they
have been doing. God is Aware of everything!

* Have you not considered the ones who, even though they have been forbidden
to [carry on any] intrigue, still go back to what they have been forbidden to do
and conspire out of sin and enmity, and in defiance of the Messenger? Whenever
they come to you, they greet you the way God never greets you, and tell
themselves: "Should God not punish us for what we say?"

Hell will be enough for them; they shall roast in it, for it is such an awful
goal to have. * You who believe, whenever you confer with one another, do not
conspire out of sin and enmity, and in defiance of the Messenger: confer
virtuously and through a sense of duty. Heed God, before whom you will appear.

** Intrigue comes only from Satan, so he may sadden those who believe.
Yet he will not harm them in any way except with God's permission; so
on God let believers rely.

* You who believe, whenever someone tells you to make room at (any) sessions,
then make room; God will make room for you [elsewhere]. When it is said: "Move
on ahead!", then move on up. God will raise those of you who believe, in rank,
as well as the ones who are given knowledge. God is Informed about anything you
do.

Manners at Meetings; Parlimentary Procedure

* You who believe, whenever you confer with the Messenger, offer some sort of
charity before you confer [with him]; that will be better for you, and purer
[besides]. Yet if you do not find anything [to give], God is still Forgiving,
Merciful. * Are you worried about proffering some charity before your
consultation? If you do not do so, God still turns towards you, so keep up
prayer and pay the welfare tax, and obey God and His messenger. God is Informed
about anything you do.

Hypocrites

(iii) * Have you not considered those who make friends with a folk
whom God is angry with? They are neither on your side nor yet on their own, and
they perjure themselves while they know it. ** God has prepared severe torment
for them; with them, anything they do is evil. * They have taken their faith as
a disguise and obstructed God's way. They will have disgraceful torment; *
neither their wealth nor their children will help them out in any way with God.
Those will become imnates of the Fire; they will remain there for ever.

* Some day God will raise them all up together and they will swear to

Him
just as they have swom to you; they reckon they will get something out of it.
They are such liars! * Satan has won them over and made them forget to mention
God; those are Satan's party. Yet Satan's side will be the losers! ** Those who
would limit God and His messenger are the vilest sort.

Believers

* God has written: "I shall prevail, both I Myself and My messengers!" God is
Strong, Powerful. * You will not find any people who believe in God and the Last
Day showing affection for anyone who places limits on God and His messenger,
even though they are their own fathers, their sons, their brothers or anyone
from their family connection. With those He will engrave faith on their hearts,
assist them with a spirit from Himself, and will show them into gardens through
which rivers flow, to live there for ever. God will approve of them while they
will be pleased with Him. Those are on God's side. God's party are those who
shall be successful!

59. Banishment

THIS CHAPTER of 24 verses which are arranged in three sections was revealed
at Madina after Evidence 98. It deals with the expulsion of the Jewish
clan called the Banu-Nadir who lived three miles outside of Madina, and how to
distribute the booty resulting from the campaign in which they had been defeated
(i).This incident occurred six months after the battle of Uhud in the
year 4 / 625.

In the final section (iii), the description of how, if the Quran should be
delivered to a mountain, it would shudder at receiving such a burden gives us a
graphic picture, while the concluding passage forms a beautiful doxology, in
praise of the Deity.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(i) * Whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth
celebrates God. He is the Powerful, the Wise!

The Banu-Nadir

* He is the One Who turned those People of the Book who disbelieved, out of
their homes in the first banishment.

You (all) did not think that they would leave, while they thought that their
strongholds would keep God away from them. Yet God came at them from where they
did not anticipate it and cast such panic into their hearts, that they tore
their houses down with their own hands as well as through believers' hands: so
learn a lesson, you who have any insight! * If God had not prescribed expulsion
for them, He would still have punished them in this world. They shall have the
torment of Fire in the Hereafter. * That is because they have broken off with
God and His messenger. Anyone who breaks with God [finds out] that God is Stern
in punishment.

Distibution of Spoils in War

** Any nursery stock you cut down or leave standing on their roots, is with
God's permission so He may disgrace such immoral people, * as well as any
[property] of theirs that God has assigned to His messenger, since none of you
spurred along any horses or riding camels to get it; however God gives His
messenger authority over anyone He wishes. God is Capable of [doing] everything.
* Anything from townsfolk which God has assigned to His messenger belongs to God
and the Messenger, as well as near relatives, orphans, the needy and the
wayfarer, so that it will not be traded around merely among the rich men you
have.

Accept anything the Messenger may give you, and keep away from anything he
withholds from you. Heed God [Alone]: God is Stem with punishment.

Refugees

* [It is also] for those poor refugees who have been expelled from their
homes and property, while they are seeking bounty and approval from God and are
supporting God and His messenger; those are quite sincere. * The ones who have
set up housekeeping and faith before them should love anyone who has migrated to
them; they should not find any need in their breasts for anything that has been
given them and prefer them ahead of themselves, even though some privation
exists among them. Those who are shielded from their own avarice will be
prosperous. ** The ones who came after them say:

"Our Lord, forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in faith, and do
not place any rancor in our hearts concerning those who believe. Our Lord, You
are Compassionate, Merciful!"

Hypocrites Again

(ii) * Have you not considered those who act hypocritically? They tell
their brethren among the People of the Book who disbelieve: "If you are
expelled, we will leave along with you. We shall never obey anyone concerning
you. If you are attacked, we will support you."

God will show them up as liars! * If they ever are expelled, they will not
leave with them, while if they are attacked, they will never support them. Even
if they should support them, they will still turn their backs [on them]; then
they will not be supported. * They are more in dread of you (all) than anything
they feel in their breasts towards God. That is because they are a folk who do
not comprehend [anything]. * They will not fight you as a group except from
inside fortified towns or from behind walls. T'heir violence towards one another
is serious; you would reckon they would stick together, while their hearts are
so at odds. That is because they are a folk who do not use their reason.

Satan's Victims

** Just as the ones shortly before them tasted the consequence of their own
action, even so they will have painful torment. * It is just as Satan does when
he tells a nian: "Disbelieve," and then once he does disbelieve, says: "I am
innocent of you; I fear God, Lord of the Universe." * The outcome for them both
is that they [will land] in the Fire, to remain there for ever. Such will be the
reward for wrongdoers.

(iii) *You who believe, heed God! Let every soul watch out for
whatever it has prepar-ed for the morrow, and heed God; God is Informed about
anything you do. * Do not be like those who have forgotten about God, so He lets
them forget about their own souls. Such people are immoral! ** The inmates of
the Fire are not equal to the inhabitants of the Garden; the inhabitants of the
Garden will achieve [whatever they want].

The Quran on a Mountain

* If We had sent this Qur)an down on a mountain, you would have seen it
solemnly splitting open out of awe for God. These are the parables We make up
for mankind so that they may meditate.

A Hymn to God

* He is God,besides Whom there is no [other] deity; Knowing the
Unseen and the Visible, He is the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* He is
God [Alone] besides Whom there is no [other] god, the Sovereign, the
Holy, the [Source ofl Peace, the Secure, the Preserver, the Powerful,
the Compeller, the Magnificent: glory be to God ahead of anything
they may associate [with Him]!

* He is God,the Creator, the
Maker, the Shaper. His are the Finest Names.Whatever is in Heaven and
Earth celebrates Him. He isthe Powerful, the Wise.

60. Examining Her

THIS CHAPTER was revealed after The Coalition 33 and before
Women 4. Its 13 verses in two sections, which are noticeably longer than
the succeeding Meccan ones, date from the Madina period. The chapter begins with
Abraham's prayer (i) before it deals with women converts (ii). This chiefly
concerns woman's role as Islamic society was developing; at the end it gives the
woman's profession of faith.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(i) *You who believe, do not take My enemy and your own enemy as
friends, offering them affection while they disbelieve in any Truth that has
come to you; they exile the Messenger as well as you yourselves just because you
believe in God, your Lord. If you have gone forth to strive for My sake, seeking
to please Me, would you secretly show them your affection? I am quite Aware of
what you hide and what you show. Any of you who does so will stray from the
Level Path. * If they should encounter you, they would act as enemies of yours
and stretch out their hands as well as their tongues to injure you. They would
love to make you disbelieve!

* Not even your blood relations nor your children will benefit you on
Resurrection Day; He will sort you out. God is Observant of anything you do. *
You have a fine model in Abraham and those with him when they told their folk:
"We are innocent of you and anything you serve instead of God. We disown you,
and hostility and hatred have set in between us for ever, unless you believe in
God Alone (except for Abraham's statement to his father: 'I'll seek forgiveness
for you, even though I do not control anything at all with God for you')."

Abraham's Prayer

Our Lord, on You do we rely, to You do we refer, and towards You ties
the goal! ** Our Lord, do not make us a trial for those who disbelieve,
and forgive us! Our Lord,you are the Powerful, the Wise!

* You had a fine model in them for anyone who has been hoping [to meet] God
and the Last Day. Yet anyone who turns away [will find] God is the Transcendent,
the Praiseworthy.

Choosing One's Friends

(ii) * Yet God may still plant affection between you and those
of them you felt were enemies. God is Capable, and God is Forgiving, Merciful. *
God does not forbid you to act considerately towards those who have never fought
you over religion nor evicted you from your homes, nor [forbid you] to act
fairly towards them. God loves the fairminded. * God only forbids you to be
friendly with the ones who have fought you over [your] religion and evicted you
from your homes, and have abetted others in your eviction. Those who befriend
them are wrongdoers.

Women Converts

** You who believe, whenever believing women come to you as refugees,
examine them. God is quite Aware of their faith, so if you recognize them
to be believing women, do not send them back to the disbelievers; such women are
not lawful for them nor are such men lawful for such women. Give [their former
husbands] whatever they may have spent [on them]. There is no objection if you
marry such women off, once you give them their allotments. Do not hold on to.
any ties with disbelievers; ask for whatever you may have spent and let them ask
for what they have spent. Such is God's discretion; He will settle things
between you. God is Aware, Wise.

Their Remarriage

* Yet if anything of your spouses has slipped over to the disbelievers and
you chance to acquire something else [in return], give those whose spouses have
gone away the equivalent of whatever they may have spent. Heed God in Whom you
(all) believe.

The Women's Oath OR Profession of Faith

*O Prophet, whenever any believing women come to swear allegiance to you,
saying they will not associate anything with God, nor steal, nor misbehave
sexually, nor kill their children, nor give any [cause for] candal that they may
invent between either their hands or legs, nor to disobey you in any decent
matter; then accept their allegiance and seek forgiveness from God for them. God
is Forgiving, Merciful.

* You who believe, do not patronize any folk whom God has become angry with;
they despair of the Hereafter just as disbelievers despair of the inhabitants of
tombs.

61. Battle Array

THIS TWO-SECTION chapter is arranged in 14 verses which date from Madina. It
was revealed after Haggling 64 and before the next one on Friday (OR
Congregation) 62.

The chapter begins with the refrain: "Whatever is in Heaven/and whatever is
on Earth/celebrates God...", the same refrain as with Iron 57 and
Banishment 59, four and two chapters preceding, and in the one
immediately following, Friday (OR Congregation) 62. It also
contains the famous prediction by Jesus that another messenger would follow him.
The shorter chapters in the Quran begin here.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(1)* Whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth celebrates God.
He is the Powerful, the Wise!

* You who believe, why do you preach something you are not practising? * God
feels a strong distaste for you to preach something you do not practise. * God
loves those who fightfor His sake in [battle] ranks as if they
were a solid structure.

** Thus Moses told his folk: "My folk, why do you annoy me? You know I am
God's messenger to you." When they wavered, God let their hearts waver too; God
does not guide immoral folk.

A New Messenger Predicted in the Gospel

* So Jesus the son of Mary said: "Children of Israel, I am God's messenger to
you, confirming whatever came before me in the Testament and announcing a
messenger coming after me whose name will be Ahmad." Yet when he brought them
explanations, they said: "This is sheer magic!"

The Pagans

* Who is more in the wrong than someone who invents a lie about God while he
is being invited to [embrace] Islam? God does not guide such wrongdoing folk. *
They want to blow God's light out with their mouths while He is Perfecting His
light no matter how disbelievers may dislike it. * He is the One Who has sent
His messenger with guidance and the True Religion, so He may have it prevail
over every other religion no matter how those who associate [others with God]
may hate it.

The Spiritual Struggle

(ii)** You who believe, shall I lead you to a bargain that will save
you from painful torment? * You should believe in God and His messenger, and
strive in God's way with your property and your persons; that will be
better for you if you only knew. * He will forgive you your offences and show
you into gardens through which rivers flow, and wholesome dwellings in the
gardens of Eden. That will be the supreme Achievement! * And something else you
will love to have: support from God and a victory close at hand. Proclaim such
to believers!

* You who believe, act as God's supporters just as Jesus the son of Mary told
the disciples: "Who will be my supporters [along the way] towards God?" The
disciples said: "We are God's supporters." A faction from the Children of Israel
believed, while another faction disbelieved. We assisted the ones who believed
against their enemy, till they held the upper hand.

62. Friday (or Congregation)

THIS CHAPTER containing 11 verses from the Madinese period was revealed after
the previous one on Battle Array 61 and before Victory 48. It
describes the Prophet's increasing troubles with his Jewish neighbors in and
around Madina, and contains the famous parable on "The Donkey Carrying Books"
(i),concerning those who do not practise what they preach, nor profit
from what they can learn.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(i) * Whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth
celebrates God the Sovereign [Who is] the Holy, the Powerful, the Wise!

* He is the One Who has despatched a messenger from the Unlettered [people]
among themselves, to recite His verses to them and purify them and teach them
the Book and wisdom, even though previously they were in obvious error; * as
well as others of them who have not yet joined them.

He is the Powerful, the Wise!* Such is God's bounty which He gives to
anyone He wishes.God possesses splendid bounty!

The Donkey Carrying Books

** Those who are laden with the Old Testament, yet do not carry it out may be
compared to a donkey who is carrying scriptures. It is such a dreadful
way to have to compare people who reject God's signs! God does not guide such
wrongdoing folk.

* SAY: "You who are Jews, if you claim to be God's adherents ahead of
[other] people, then long for death if you are so truthful." They will never
long for it because of what their hands have already done. God is Aware as to
who are wrongdoers.

* SAY: "If it is death that you flee, it will still overtake you. Then you
will be sent back to the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible; He will notify
you about whatever you have been doing."

Friday's Prayers

ii) * You who believe, when [the call to] prayer is announced on the
day of Congregation. hasten to remember God and close your [place of]
business. That will be better for you if you only realized it.

** Once prayer has been performed, then disperse throughout the land and seek
God's bounty. Remember God frequently so that you may prosper. * Yet whenever
they see some business or some sport they flock towards it and leave you
standing there [alone].

SAY: "Whatever God has is betterthan any sport or business. God is
the Best Provider!"

63. Hypocrites

THIS CHAPTER like the previous one on Friday 62
contains II verses from Madina. It was revealed after Pilgrimage 22 and
before ThePleading Woman 58. This places it following the battle
of Uhud which occurred near Madina in the third year of the Hijra or 625 A.D.
Its description of hypocrisy is very telling.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(i) *Whenever hypocrites come to you, they say: "We admit that
you are God's messenger." God already knows that you are His messenger, while
God testifies that the hypocrites are liars. * They use their faith as a
disguise and obstruct God's way; they are evil because of what they have been
doing. * That is because they have believed, then disbelieved; so their hearts
are sealed off and they do not comprehend a thing.

* Whenever you see them, their physical appearance may attract you, while if
they speak, you will listen to what they say as if they were just sticks of
kindling all stacked up. They reckon every shout is [directed] against them.
They are the [real] enemy, so beware of them! May God assail them! How they
shrug things off!

** Whenever they are told: "Come, God's messenger will seek forgiveness for
you," they twist their heads around and you will see them trying to slip away,
while they act so haughty. * It is the same for them whether you seek
forgiveness for them or do not seek forgiveness for them; God will never forgive
them! God does not guide such immoral folk.

* They are the ones who say: "Do not spend anything on anyone who is with
God's messenger until they desert [him]." God holds the treasures of Heaven and
Earth, yet hypocrites do not comprehend this. * They say: "If we should
ever return to the City, the grandees there would expel the lower [classes]."
Yet influence belongs to God, His messenger and believers, even though
hypocrites do not realize it.

On Paying Taxes

(ii) * You who believe, let neither your wealth nor your children distract
you from remembering God. Those who do so will be the losers. ** Spend something
from whatever We have provided you with before death comes to one of you and he
says: "My Lord, if You would only delay things for me for a short while, then I
will act charitably and become honorable!"

Eleventh Hour Repentance

* God will never postpone things for any soul once its deadline has arrived.
God is Informed about anything you do!

64. Haggling

THIS CHAPTER of 18 verses dates from the transition between
the late period in Mecca and the first year in Madina. It was revealed after
Prohibition 66 and before Battle Array 61.

The haggling will occur on the day when God gathers everyone in and we all
shall have to account for our actions. The chapter is full of suggestion when it
is read attentively.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(i) * Whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth
celebrates God. Control is His and praise is (also) His. He is
Capable of everything!

Free Choice

* He is the One Who created you so that while one of you may be a disbeliever
another of you is still a believer. God is Observant of anything and even
improved on your shapes. Towards Him lies the Goal! * He knows whatever is in
Heaven and Earth, and knows anything you conceal as well as anything you
disclose; God is Aware of what is on one's mind.

God's Omniscience

** Has not news come to you (all) about those who have disbelieved
previously? They tasted the effect of their action and [experienced] painful
torment. * That was because their messengers had brought them explanations and
yet they said: "Will human beings ever guide us?" So they disbelieved and turned
away. God has no need of such [people]; God is Transcendent, Praiseworthy.

* The ones who disbelieve claim they will never be raised up again. SAY:
"Indeed, by my Lord, you will be raised again! Then you will be notified about
whatever you have been doing. That will be easy for God to do!"

* Believe in God and His messenger, and the Light which We have sent down.
God is Informed about anything you do. * Some day He will gather you (all) in on
the Day of Gathering; that will be the day for haggling! He will remit
the misdeeds of anyone who believes in God and has acted honorably, and show him
into gardens through which rivers flow, to live there for ever. That will be the
supreme Achievement!

** Those who disbelieve and reject Our signs will become inhabitants of the
Fire, to remain there. What an awful goal it is!

(ii) *No disaster has ever struck anyone unless it was with God's
consent. Anyone who believes in God, has Him to guide his own heart. God is
Aware of everything. * Obey God and obey the Messenger; for if you should turn
away, Our messenger needs only to proclaim things clearly.

* You who believe, some of your spouses and children may be your own enemies,
so beware of them! Yet if you pardon, condone and forgive [them], God will
(likewise) be Forgiving, Merciful. ** Your wealth and your children are simply a
[means on testing [you]. Yet God holds a splendid fee. * Heed God however you
can manage to; hear, obey and spend money on one another. Those who feel secure
from their own soul's grasping, will be successful. * If you will advance God a
handsome loan, He will compound it for you and forgive you.

God is Appreciative, Lenient;* Knowing the Unseen and the Visible,[He
is] the Powerful, the Wise!

65. Divorce

THIS CHAPTER of 12 Madinese verses was revealed after
Everyman 76 and before Evidence 98. As shown by the title, it
contains legislation on domestic matters.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(i) * O Prophet, whenever you [and other Muslims] d i v o r c e women,
send them away according to their [legal] number and count up the amount [of
months carefully], and heed God your Lord. Do not turn them out of their homes,
nor should they be forced to leave except when they have committed some flagrant
act of sexual misconduct. Such are God's limits, and anyone who oversteps God's
limits thereby harms himself. You do not know whether God may let some matter
happen later on!

* Thus whenever women reach their deadline, hold on to them in decency, or
part from them in decency. Have two impartial persons from among you act as
witnesses, and set up a way to witness their testimony before God. That is what
anyone who believes in God and the Last Day is instructed to do. God will grant
a way out for anyone who heeds Him, * and provide for him in a manner he could
never anticipate. God suffices for anyone who relies on Him; God will accomplish
His purpose. God has granted everything in due proportion.

* If you have any doubt concerning those women of yours who have finished
with menstruation, then their count is three months; as it is with the ones who
are still not menstruating. With those who are pregnant, their term will be
whenever they give birth. God makes His matter easy for anyone who heeds Him. **
Such is God's command which He sends down to you (all). Anyone who heeds God
will have his evil deeds remitted while He will pile up [his] earnings for him.

* House women wherever you reside, according to your circumstances, and do
not harass them in order to make life difficult for them. If they are pregnant,
then provide for them until they give birth; while if they are nursing [any
babies] for you, then give them their allowances. Discuss things among
yourselves in all decency, while if you are hard on one another, then seek
another wetnurse for [the father to pay]. * A man of means should spend out of
his means, while anyone whose income must be budgeted more carefully, should
spend some of whatever God has granted him.

Personal Responsibilty

God only holds a person responsible for something He has given him. God will
grant ease, following hardship!

Salvation

(ii) * How many towns have acted insolently towards both their Lord's
and His messengers' command, so We summoned them to a stern accounting and
punished them with unheard-of torment. * They tasted the effect of their action
and the outcome of their conduct was perdition.

** God has prepared severe torment for them, so heed God, you prudent persons
who believe; God has sent you down a Reminder * through a messenger reciting
God's clear verses, so He may remove those who believe and perform honorable
deeds from darkness into Light. God will show anyone who believes in Him and
acts honorably into gardens through which rivers flow, to live there for ever.
What a handsome provision God has granted him!

Divine Law

* God is the One Who created seven heavens, and the same [number of planets]
which are like the earth. The Command prevails among them so you (all) may know
that God is Capable of everything. God comprises everything in knowledge!

66. Prohibition

THIS CHAPTER containing 12 more verses from Madina was
revealed after The [Inner] Apartments 49 and before Haggling 64.
It forms the last of twelve Madinese chapters that are found in this portion of
the Quran.

The subject matter concerns the Prophet's own family life and disputes with
his wives Hafsa and Aisha over Mary the Egyptian (i), the mother of his
shortlived son Ibrahim or Abraham. The light given to believers is pictured in
section ii; and then a parable on both "Bad and Good Wives", which includes a
final statement on Mary, Jesus' saintly mother.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

Handling Impossible Oaths

(i) * O Prophet, why do you prohibit something that God has permitted
you? You seek to please your wives while God is Forgiving, Merciful. * God
has stipulated that you (all) should disregard such oaths of yours. God is your
Patron; He is the Aware, the Wise.

The Prophet's Family

* Thus the Prophet confided a story to one of his wives and when she spread
it around, God disclosed the matter to him. He let some of it be known, and
overlooked part [of it]. However when he informed her about it, shesaid:
"Who told you about this?", he said: "The Aware, the Informed One told me so."

* If both of you will turn to God (in repentance), then let your hearts be so
inclined; while if you back each other up against him, then God will be his
Patron as well as Gabriel, plus any honorable believer. The angels furthermore
are [his] backers. ** Perhaps, should he divorce you, his Lord would grant him
even better wives than you are in exchange, ones committed to (live in) peace,
who are believers, devoted, repentant, worshipful, serving as social workers,
both matrons and virgins.

* You who believe, shield yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel
will be men and stones: over it there [lurk] fierce, stem angels who do not
disobey God in anything He commands them [to do]. They do whatever they are
ordered to. * You who disbelieve, do not make up any excuses today; you are
merely being rewarded for whatever you have been doing.

Believer's Light

(ii) * You who believe, turn to God in frank repentance. Perhaps your
Lord will remit your evil deeds for you and show you into gardens through which
rivers flow, on a day when God will not let the Prophet be humiliated. Those who
believe will stand alongside him, their light streaming on ahead of them and to
their right. They will say: "Our Lord, perfect our light for us, and forgive us!
You are Capable of everything!"

*O Prophet, strive against disbelievers and hypocrites; act stern with them!
Their refuge will be Hell and it is such a wretched goal.

Bad and Good
Wives

** God has made up a parable for those who disbelieve: Noah's wife and Lot's
wife were both married to two of Our honorable servants, yet they betrayed them
both. Neither received any help at all for them so far as God was concemed. They
were told: "Enter the Fire along with [the rest of] those who are entering it."

* God has (also) made up a parable for those who believe, concerning
Pharaoh's wife when she said: "My Lord, build a house for me in the Garden
alongside You, and save me from Pharaoh and his action. Save me from such
wrongdoing folk!"

Mary the Chaste

And [concerning] Mary, the descendant of lmran, who preserved her
chastity; We breathed some of Our spirit into [her womb], and she (thereby)
confirmed her Lord's words and books. She was so prayerful!

67. Control

THIS CHAPTER of 30 Meccan verses was revealed after he
Mount 52 and before Reality 69. The next two Parts of the Qur)in
(xxix and xxx) are Meccan again, except for the short chapter called
[Divine]Support 110,and they comprise two-score lyric
gems. The present chapter gives us a picture of how the Universe was formed, as
well as another of the final Blaze which will mark the end of the world (I).

The title Al-Mulk gives some difficulty in translation from the
Arabic. In a so-called republican or pseudo-democratic age, I prefer the word
'control' instead of monarchical terms such as 'dominion' or 'sovereignty, since
control here refers to the ultimate power of the Divinity, while actual
political power was being slowly forged in Arabia through a confederation of
Arab tribes, the Islamic commonwealth or Umma which the Prophet tried to
achieve. 'Control' also gives us an easier verb form to use. God is here
addressed as the Mercy-giving or ar-Rahman.

PART TWENTY-NINE

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

Cosmogony (or Creation)

(i) *Blessed is He in Whose hands there rests control; He is
Capable of [doing] everything, * the One Who created death and life, so He may
test which of you is finest in action. He is the Powerful, the Forgiving, * Who
created seven matching heavens. You do not see any discrepancy in the
Mercy-giving's creation. Look once again; do you see any flaws?

The Blaze

* Then look still another time: (your) gaze will come back to you bewildered,
and feel exhausted. * We have decorated the nearest sky with lamps. We have
placed them as missiles directed towards the devils and prepared torment from
the Blaze for them.

* Those who disbelieve in their Lord will have Hell's torment; it is such a
wretched goal! * As they are flung into it, they will hear it gasping as it
seethes, * almost bursting with rage. * Each time a group is cast into it, its
keepers will ask them: "Did no warner come to you?"

* They will say: "Of course a warner came to us, and we rejected [him] and
said: 'God has not sent down anything; you (all) are merely in gross error."' **
They will further say: "If we had only listened and reasoned things out, we
would not have become inmates of the Blaze." * They will acknowledge their
offence, so away with the inmates of the Blaze!

* The ones who live in awe of their Lord even though [He is] Unseen will have
forgiveness and a large payment. * Hide anything you say or else shout it out:
He is still Aware of whatever is on your minds. * Does He not know anyone He has
created? He is the Gracious, the Informed!

(ii) ** He is the One Who has placed the earth to be developed by you,
so walk along its byways and eat some of what He provides you with, for with Him
lies reviving it again. * Do you feel confident that Whoever is in Heaven will
not let the earth swallow you up? How it will sway! * Or do you feel secure that
Whoever is in Heaven will not send a hailstorm against you, so that you shall
find out how [true] My waming was? * Their predecessors denied it, and how
[great] was My disgust!

* Have they not watched the birds flapping [their wings] in rows above them?
What holds them up except the Mercy-giving? He is Observant of everything. * *
Who is there [to act] as an army for you in order to support you, besides the
Mercy-giving? Disbelievers are merely suffering from delusion. * Who is there to
provide for you if He should stop providing [for you]? Rather they persist in
insolence and disdain. * And is someone who walks along with his face bent down
better guided than someone who walks properly along a Straight Road?

God

* SAY: "He is the One Who has produced you and granted you hearing, eyesight
and vital organs. Yet how seldom are you grateful! * SAY: "He is the One Who
has scattered you all over the earth, and to Him will you be summoned." ** They
say: "When will this promise [come to be] if you are so truthful?" * SAY:
"Knowledge rests only with God; I am merely a plain warner."

Doomsday

* Yet when they see it close at hand, the faces of those who disbelieve will
look wretched and someone will say: "This is what you were appealing for!" *
SAY: "Have you (all) considered whether God will wipe me out, as well as anyone
who is with me, or whether He will show us mercy? Still who will shelter
disbelievers from painful torment?" * SAY: "It will be the Mercy-giving. We
believe in Him and on Him do we rely. You will know anyone who is in plain
error."

** SAY: "Have you considered who, if your water should sink into the ground,
wifl bring you any water from a spring?"

68. The Pen(or The Letter N)

THIS CHAPTER contains 52 very early
Meccan verses, all except for vv. 17-23, which form a graphic parable of "The
Arrogant Orchardmen", (OR "The Blighted Garden" as it is sometimes called).
These farmers committed the sin of arrogation and ended up by losing their crops
(i). Another later story in vv. 48-50 concerns the prophet Jonah (ii).Both of these tales date from Madina. The main body however was revealed
after The Clot 96 (with which it should be compared), and before
Bundled Up 73.

This chapter brought comfort to the Prophet, and it is sometimes called the
"Second Revelation". Its initial statement shows his growing preoccupation
concerning literacy.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

Muhammad Not Deranged

* N.

By the pen and whatever they record, * you, by your Lord's favor, are
no madman! * You will receive payment which will never be withheld. * You
have been [formed] with tremendous character, ** so you will observe even as
they observe, * which of you is being tested. * Your Lord is quite Aware as to
who has strayed from His path, just as He is quite Aware as to who are guided.
Do not obey rejectors; * they would love to have you shift about so they too may
shift around. ** Do not obey every contemptible oathmonger, any faultfinder who
goes around spreading gossip, * hindering good, defiant, vicious, * brawling,
and a bastard besides that * even though he possesses both money and children.
** Whenever Our verses are recited to him, he says: "Legends by primitive
people!"

* We shall brand him on the snout!

The Arrogant Orchardmen

* We shall test them just as We tested the owners of the orchard when they
swore they would pick its fruit next morning * and did not make any reservation
about having a second chance; * so a calamity from your Lord came round to them
while they were sleeping ** and one morning it lay as if it had been already
harvested!

* Thus they called out to one another next morning: * "Get out early to your
crop if you [want to] harvest it!" * They hurried off muttering to one another:
*"Dont admit any needy person in on you today!"

** So they went off early, grumbling yet ready for work, * and when they saw
it, they said: "We must be lost! * In fact, we feel destitute."

* Someone more considerate among them said: "Did I not tell you: 'Why do you
not glorify [God]?"' * They said: "Glory be to our Lord; we have been doing
(something) wrong."

** Still some of them pounced on others, blaming one another; * they
said: "It's too bad for us; we have been so arrogant. * Perhaps our Lord will
exchange it for something even better than what we already have. We will plead
with our Lord!"

* Such is torment, although torment in the Hereafter will be even greater if
they only realized it.

(ii) *The heedful will have gardens of bliss alongside their Lord. **
Are We to treat Muslims as if they were criminals? * What is wrong with you? How
do you decide matters? * Or do you have some book to study from? * Do you have
whatever you select from it? * Or do you have some pledge binding on Us until
Resurrection Day that you shall have whatever you decide upon?" ** Ask them
which of them will lay claim to that. * Or do they have associates [along with
God]? Well, let them bring on their associates if they are so truthful.

* Some day when their shinbone will be laid bare and they will be called upon
to bow down on their knees, and they will not manage to; * with their eyes cast
down, disgrace will overwhelm them. They had been called upon to bow down on
their knees while they still felt safe.

* Leave Me Alone as well as anyone who rejects this account: We will lead
them on gradually by means they do not recognize. ** I shall even put up with
them for a while; for My plan is certain.

Jonah

* Or are you asking them for some fee while they are weighted down with debt?
* Or do they hold the Unseen which they are writing down? * Be patient with your
Lord's decision and not like the Whale's Companion when he called out as he felt
stifled. * If favor from his Lord had not reached him, he would have been flung
upon the empty beach while he was still to blame. ** His Lord picked him out and
placed him with honorable people.

* The ones who disbelieve almost trip you up by glaring at you whenever they
hear the Reminder, and they say: "He's deranged!" Yet it is merely a Reminder to
[everybody in] the Universe.

69. Reality

THESE52 EARLY Meccan verses were revealed after
Control 67 and before Staircases Upward 70, the next chapter in
sequence. The apocalyptic vision is superb and now becoming clearer, for this
chapter offers us a vivid idea of how the Last Trumpet will sound on Judgment
Day. It also talks about the ancient peoples of Arabia called Thamud and Ad, as
well as about Pharaoh and Noah.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(i) * Reality!* What is reality? *
What will make you recognize what reality is like?

Thamud and Ad

* Thamud and Ad denied [they would face] disaster. ** As for Thamud, they
were wiped out by the Thunderbolt. * As for Ad, they were wiped out by a
furiously howling gale. * He loosed it on them for seven grueling nights and
eight days. You would see folk collapsing in it as if they were hollow palm
trunks. * Do you see any survivors from them?

Pharaoh

* Pharaoh came, as well as those before him, and the places

Overthrown through [their own] misdeeds; ** they defied their Lord's
messenger, so He seized them with a tightening grip. * When the water
overflowed, We loaded you on the vessel,

Noah

* so We might set it up as a Reminder for you and so (your)
attentive ears might retain it.

The Last Trumpet

* When a single blast is blown on the Trumpet * and the earth is lifted up
along with the mountains and they are both flattened by a single blow, ** the
Event will take place on that day! * The sky will split open and seem flimsy
that day; * while angels [will stand] along its edges. Eight [in all] will bear
your Lord's throne above them on that day.

The Final Judgement

* On that day you will (all) be arraigned; no secret of yours will remain
hidden. * Anyone who is given his book in his right hand will say:"Here, read my
book! ** I always thought I would face my reckoning!" * He will be in pleasant
living * in a lofty garden * whose clusters [of fruit] will hang within easy
reach. * "Eat and drink to your heart's content because of what you sent on
ahead in bygone days." ** However anyone who is given his book in his left hand
will say: "It's too bad for me; if only my book had not been given me, * I would
not have known my reckoning! * If it had only been the Sentence [once and for
all]! * My money has not helped me out; * my authority has been wiped out on
me."

** "Take him off and handcuff him! * Then let Hades roast him! * Then padlock
him to a chain gang seventy yards long. * He did not believe in God Almighty *
nor ever urge [others) to feed the needy. ** He has no close friend here today,
* nor any food except for some garbage * which only sinners eat."

(ii) * Yet I swear by whatever you observe * and what you do not
observe, ** that it is a statement [made] by a noble messenger. * It is no
poet's statement; how little do you believe! * Nor is it some fortune teller's
statement; how little do you think things over! * [It is] something sent down by
the Lord of the Universe.

* If he had mouthed some [false] statements about Us, ** We would have seized
him by the right hand; * then cut off his main artery. * Not one of you would
have prevented it!

* We know too that some of you will reject it.** It means despair for
disbelievers; * yet it is the absolute Truth!* So hymn your Lord's
almighty name!

70. Staircases Upward (or A Skeptic Asking)

THISCHAPTER
containing 44 early to middle Meccan verses was revealed after the previous one
called Reality 69 and before The Announcement 78. The
Arabic word al-Maarij, meaning staircases or ladders, is the plural of
Miraj, which appears as the title of Chapter 17, where it is
translated as The Night Journey that was made on one of them.

The chapter deals mainly with what one can expect to find in the Hereafter.
Morals and proper conduct are also discussed. The rhymes in the Arabic add to
the effect of the theme, although they areunfortunately lost through
translation.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(i) * A skeptic was asking about torment that
is bound to happen * to disbelievers; there will be no defence against it *
[since it comes] from God Who owns the staircases leading upward. *
The angels and the Spirit will climb up to Him on a day whose range is fifty
thousand years ** So act patient with a handsome patience!

* They consider it is far away * while We see it as nearby * on a day
when the sky will be like molten brass * and the mountains like tufts of yarn.
** No close friend will question any [other] friend; * they will merely give
each other a knowing look. A criminal might like to ransom himself from that
day's torment through his children, * his wife, a brother of his, * his family
circle which has sheltered him, * and everyone who is on earth if [such action]
might then save him.

** Of course not; it would flare up * tugging at his scalp, * claiming anyone
who tries to escape and turns away, * through saving (things) up and hoarding
(them).

Man's Character

* Man has been created restless, ** so he panics whenever any evil touches
him, * and withdraws when some good touches him; * except for the prayerful *
who are constant at their prayers * and whose wealth comprises an acknowledged
responsibility ** towards the beggar and the destitute;

Moral's; Conduct

* and the ones who accept the Day for Repayment, * and those who are
apprehensive about their Lord's torment- * (their Lord's torment is nothing to
feel too safe from!)- * and the ones who preserve their chastity, ** except with
their own spouses or those living under their control; with such they are
blameless.

* Those who desire [to go] beyond that, will be going too far___* and the
ones who preserve their trusts and oaths, * and the ones who stand by their
testimony, * and the ones who attend to their prayer- ** those will be honored
in gardens.

The Fate of Disbelievers

(ii) * Yet what is wrong with those who disbelieve, that they should
try to dash on ahead of you * in batches to the right and on the left? * Does
every man among them aspire to enter the Garden of Bliss?

* Of course not! We created them out of something they well know. ** And I do
swear by the Lord of the Eastern places and the Western places that We are Able
* to replace them with someone better than they are. We shall never be
overruled!

* Leave them speculating and playing around until they face their day which
they have been promised, * the day when they will hasten forth from their graves
as if they were rushing towards some objective, * their eyesight cast down,
disgrace overshadowing them on that day which they have been threatened
with!

71. Noah

THESE 28 LATER Meccan verses were revealed after Bees 16
and before Abraham 14. The chapter concerns Noah's mission.

The end of the first section tellshow the Universe was formed; this
section really consists of a short sermon. As usual in these shorter, early
chapters in this part of the Quran,this one also has a rhyme.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(i) * We sent Noah to his people: "Warn your people
before some painful torment comes to them!"

* He said: "My folk, I am a plain warner for you: * serve God and heed Him,
and obey me! * He will forgive some of your offences for you and postpone things
for you until a specific deadline. God's deadline will never be postponed once
it comes, if you only realized it."

** He said: "My Lord, I have appealed to my people night and day * and my
appeal has only made them flee farther away from me. * Each time I appeal to
them to ask You to forgive them, they stick their fingers in their ears and try
to wrap themselves up in their clothing. They persist in that and have become so
overbearing!

* "Next I appealed to them publicly; * then I broadcast it to them and
confided with them privately ** and said: 'Seek forgiveness from your Lord; He
has been so Forgiving. He causes the sky to send torrents down upon you * and He
supplies you with wealth and children, and grants you gardens and even grants
you rivers.

Cosmogony

* "'What is wrong that you do not expect God to have any dignity * while He
has created you over and over again? ** Have you not (all) considered how God
created seven matching Heavens? * He has set the moon as a light among them, and
set the sun up as a source of light. * God makes you grow out of the earth like
plants; Later He will return you to it, and bring you forth once more.

* "'God has laid the earth out as a carpet for you, so you may travel around
on highways which lead through mountain passes.'"

(ii) * Noah said: "My Lord, they have defied me and followed after
someone whose money and children will only increase [their chance of] losing. *
They have hatched a great plot * and said: 'Do not forsake your gods: do not
leave Wadd, nor Suwa, nor Yaghuth, nor Yauq, nor Nasr!' * They have led so many
astray; just let wrongdoers go even farther astray!'

** Because of their mistakes, they were drowned and despatched into the Fire.
They did not find they had any supporters apart from God.

* Noah said: "My Lord, do not leave any disbelievers with homes upon
the earth. * If You should leave them any, they will lead Your servants astray
and will only breed loose-living disbelievers. * My Lord, forgive me and my
parents, as well as anyone who enters my house as a believer, plus believing men
and believing women! Do not increase wrongdoers in anything except destruction."

72. Sprites

THIS GRAPHIC chapter was revealed after The Heights 7
and following the Prophet's apparently unsuccessful mission to the mountain town
of Taif (OR Tayif) 50 miles to the southeast of Mecca. This event took place in
620 A.D., or two years before the Hijra or his Transfer to Madina. It,
like the previous chapter, contains 28 Meccan verses arranged in two sections.
Its style resembles that of Chapter 18 on The Cave, for it relates
similar allegories.

The terms jinn or 'genie' (which forms the usual rendering for the
title) are confusing, and when employed they tend to give an undesirable
"Arabian Nights" atmosphere to this sacred text. The jinn (which is a plural in
Arabic) are intelligent yet immaterial beings created from fire. If the cognate
word 'spirits' is used in English, it can be confused with the Holy Spirit (or
Ruh-who in Islamic theology is the archangel Gabriel); thus I prefer the more
popular term 'sprites', which somewhat makes them resemble the gremlins, elves
or the so-called 'little people' in Western folklore, especially in Celtic
areas. Professor Faruqi calls them: 'spiritual beings between man and angels"
(in referring to 51:iii).

We can also remember the evil spirits which Jesus cast out in Matthew
8:16 and Mark 5. Some commentators consider these sprites to be opponents
of the Prophet's mission, because of those associated with Solomon.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(i) * SAY: "It has been revealed to me that a band of sprites sat
listening, and then said: 'We have heard a wonderful Reading * guiding [people]
to normal behavior, so we have believed in it. Not one of us will ever associate
anyone else with our Lord. * Our Lord's excellence must be exalted! He has taken
no consort nor any son. * Some fool among us has been saying outrageous things
about God. ** We thought that no human being nor any sprite would ever
tell a lie about God!'

* "Once human men used to take refuge with men from the sprites and it
made them even more pretentious. * They thought, just as you have supposed, that
God will never send anyone up again.

* "We reached out for Heaven and found it staffed with stern guards and
shooting stars. * We used to squat in some of its seats to listen, though anyone
who eavesdrops now finds a shooting star lurking there for him. ** We do not
know whether evil is intended for anyone on earth, or their Lord wants integrity
for them. * Some of us are honorable while others of us are quite the opposite
of that: we [travel] along such diverse routes.

* "We supposed we would never escape God on earth, and we shall never escape
Him by fleeing. * When we heard about guidance, we trusted it. Anyone who trusts
in his Lord needs not fear about being undersold nor caught short. * Some of us
are Muslims while others of us are [still] holding back. Those who have
committed themselves to (live in) peace are dedicated to integrity; ** while
those who hold back will become kindling for Hell."

Association Forbidden

* If they would only keep straight along the highway, We will let them drink
plenty of water * so We may test them by means of it; while it will lead anyone
away to mounting torment who avoids mentioning his Lord. * Mosques belong to
God, so do not appeal to anyone besides God (in them). * Yet whenever God's
servant stood up to appeal to Him, they almost crowded in upon him!

(II)** SAY: "I appeal only to my Lord and never associate anyone else [in my
worship of] Him." * SAY: "I do not control any harm for you nor any integrity."
* SAY: "No one grants protection from God nor will I ever find any sanctuary
besides that in Him * except through a decree from God, and in His message.
Anyone who defies God and His messenger will have Hell fire to live in for ever
* until once they see what they have been promised, they will realize who has
the weakest supporter and are fewest in numbers."

** SAY: "If I only knew whether what you are promised is near, or whether my
Lord has set a grace period for it; * Knowing the Unseen, He never discloses his
Unseen [secrets] to anyone * except for some messenger whom He approves of. He
leads him off with an escort both before him and behind him * so He may know
that they have delivered their Lord's messages. He embraces anything that lies
in their prescnce, and calculates everything by means of numbers."

73. Bundled Up

THESE 20 VERSES arranged in two sections all date
from Mecca, except for vv. 10, 11 and 20, which are from Madina; the short crisp
Meccan verses are thus followed by a longer passage from Madina. The chapter was
revealed after The Pen 68, and it refers to the Prophet's worries as he
initially accepts his mission and searches for Truth. It gives us an excellent
picture of his concern at this period as well as his care in attempting to
fulfil his prophetic mission.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* You who are bundled up,* stay up all night,
except for a little while: * half of it or a trifle less than that,
* or [even] add some to it, and chant the Quran distinctly as it
should be chanted. ** We will cast a weighty statement on you!

* The onset of night is more serious for impressions, as well as more
effective for speaking in. * You have lengthy employment during daylight. *
Mention your Lord's name and devote yourself to Him utterly! * Lord of the East
and the West, there is no deity except Him, so accept him as your Defender. **
Be patient about anything they may say, and steer clear of them in a polite
manner. * Let Me deal with rejectors who are enjoying their leisure; put up with
them for a while. * Before us there lie fetters and Hades, * plus food which
will make you choke, and painful torment.

* Some day the earth and mountains will rumble, and the mountains spill over
as if they had been turned into sand. ** We have sent a messenger to you (all)
to act as a witness concerning you, just as We sent Pharaoh a messenger. * Yet
Pharaoh defied the messenger, so We seized him mercilessly!

* So how will you do your duty if you already disbelieve in the day which
will turn children into greybeards? * The sky will crack open from it; His
promise will be fulfilled. * This is a Reminder, so let anyone who so wishes,
adopt a way unto his Lord.

Prayer at Night; Vigil

(ii)** Your Lord knows how you stay up close to two thirds of the night [in
prayer], half of it, and even a third of it; and [so do) a group of those who
are with you. God measures out both night and daylight; He knows that you (all)
will never count them up, so He has relented towards you.

Charity and Taxes

Read whatever seems feasible from the Quran. He knows that some of you may be
ill while others are out travelling around the earth seeking God's bounty, and
still others are fighting for God's sake. So read any of it that seems feasible,
and keep up prayer and pay the welfare tax, and advance God a handsome loan.
Anything good you send on ahead for yourselves, you will find [later on] with
God; it is better and more important as earnings.

Seek forgiveness from God;God will be Forgiving, Merciful.

74. Man Wearing a Cloak

THIS CHAPTER is commonly considered to be the
second one revealed to Muhammad, six months after his very first one called
The Clot 96, and even before The Opening 1, which formally
introduces the Quran. Its 56 Meccan verses were revealed as a complete chapter
in two sections. They have ashort, rapid style which is difficult to
copy in English, although I have attempted to imitate some of this by means of
free verse.

The Interval or gap between the Prophet's first call and his second is
referred to as the Fatra. This chapter contains some striking
pictures of the Last Trumpet; the Proud Man; and Hell Fire. The last section
(ii)lays down conditions for individual responsibility. It all requires
thought and explanation. SEE also Extinguished! 81 for a similar
apocalyptic mood.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

Muhammad's Second Call

(i) *You who are wrapped in a cloak,* stand up and
warn! * Magnify your Lord, * purify your clothing ** and steer clear
of filth. * Do not give so much away that you must ask for more;*
act patiently towards your Lord!

The Last Trumpet

* When the bugle is sounded on that day, * it will be such a harsh day, **
anything but easy on disbelievers! * Leave Me Alone with anyone I have created
to be lonely, * to whom I have granted ample wealth * and some standing before
him, * and for whom I have smoothed things over. ** Still he aspires for Me to
add even more [to it]!

* Of course not; he has acted stubbornly towards Our signs. * I shall weigh
him down with mounting trouble. * Let him think things over and measure them
out. * Yet he still will be damned just as he has measured; ** once again, he
will be killed just as he has measured things out!

* Then he looked; * next he frowned and scowled; * then he
stepped back, glanced around haughtily * and said: "This is just some
magic which has been handed down; ** this is merely a statement made
by some human being!

Hell Fire

* I'll roast him by scorching! * What will make you realize what
scorching is? * It spares nothing nor leaves anything over * as it
shrivels human [flesh].

** Over it there are Nineteen; * We have placed none but angels as guardians
of the Fire. We have placed such a number merely as a test for those who
disbelieve, to convince the ones who have been given the Book, while those who
believe may be increased in [their] faith; and so the ones who have been given
the Book as well as believers may not doubt, while the ones in whose hearts
there lurks mahce, as well as disbelievers will say: "What does God want to
compare this to ?"

Predestination

Thus God lets anyone He wishes go astray while He guides whomever He wishes.
No one knows your Lord's armies except He Himself. It is only a Reminder for
humanity.

(ii) * Indeed not; by the moon, * and night as it retreats * and
morning when it shines forth, ** it is one of the greatest [signs], *
[given] as a waming for humanity, * for anyone of you who wishes to
advance or lag behind!

Responsibility

* Each soul is [held] as a pledge for anything he has earned, * except for
the companions on the Right ** who will be in gardens enquiring * about the
criminals: "Whatever induced you to be scorched?"

* They will say: "We were not among the prayerful * nor did we feed the
needy. ** We speculated along with the speculators * and kept denying [about
appearing on] the Day for Repayment * until [its] certainty came home to us."

Meditation is Futile

* No intercession by any mediators will benefit them. * What is wrong with
them that they avoid remembering [God] ** as if they were startled donkeys * who
have just fled from a lioness? * Yet every last man among them wants to be
handed scriptures all spread out!

* Of course, it is rather because they do not fear the Here- after. * Indeed,
it is a Reminder; ** so let anyone who wishes to, remember it. * Yet they will
not remember except however God may wish.

He is Entitled to be heeded,as well as entitled to grant
forgiveness!

75. Resurrection

THIS SPLENDID chapter of 40 very early Meccan verses was revealed after
The Stunning [Blow] 101 and before The Gossipmonger 104. It tells
us how we should read the Quran (i)and describes man's stages as he is
reproduced or created (ii),just as his spiritual stages are suggested at
the very beginning (i). The last section moves very graphically.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(i) * I do swear by Resurrection Day, * as I swear by the
rebuking soul, * does man reckon We shall never gather his bones
together [again]?

* Of course We are Capable of reshaping even his fingertips. ** Yet man wants
to carouse right out in the open. * He asks: "When will Resurrection Day
be ?"

* When one's sight is dazzled,* and the moon is eclipsed,* as
the sun and moon are brought together,** on that day (every)man will say:
"Where is there any escape?"

* Of course there will be no sanctuary; * recourse will be only with your
Lord on that day. * Man will be notified that day about anything he has sent on
ahead or else held back. * Indeed man holds evidence even against himself **
although he may proffer his excuses.

How to Read the Quran

* Do not try to hurry it up with your tongue; * it is up to Us to collect it,
as well as [to know how] to recite it. * So whenever We do read it, follow in
its reading; * it is then We Who must explain it!

** Indeed how you (all) love the fleeting present * while you neglect the
Hereafter! * Some faces will be radiant on that day, * looking toward their
Lord; * while other faces will be scowling on that day, ** thinking that some
impoverishing blow will be dealt them. * Indeed when it reaches as high as one's
collarbone * and someone says: "Who is such a wizard?", * he will suppose that
it means leave-taking * while one shin will twist around the other shin [to keep
it from moving]; ** towards your Lord will the Drive be on that day!

The Atheist

(ii) * He was not trusting and did not pray, * but said: "No!" and
turned away. * Then he stalked off haughtily to his family, * [though]
closer to you and even closer! ** Then closer to you [fies your doom]
and still closer!

* Does man reckonhe'll be left forlorn? * Was he not once a drop
of ejected semen? * Then he became a clot, so [God]created and
fashioned [him] * and made him into two sexes, male and female. ** Is
such a Being not Able to revive the dead?

76. Every[Man] (or This [Day-and-]Age)

THIS CHAPTER of 31 early Meccan
verses was revealed after TheMercy-giving 55 and before
Divorce 65. Both alternate titles of (Every)man (OR Al-Insan)
and This (Day and) Age (OR Ad-Dahr) are contained in the
firstverse. The name Insan is also inferred in Chapter 36,
Ya-Sin.

The chapter deals with the subject of eschatology or how we shall spend our
afterlife. It also speaks of freewill. We are told how to attain perfection or,
as some phrase it, how to progress into sinlessness.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

Man's Farewell

(i) * Has a period in [this) age not come over (every) man
when he was nothing worth mentioning? * We have created man from adrop of semen [forming] cells so We might test him; thus We made him alert,
observant. * We have guided him along the [right] path, whether he isthankful or thankless. * We have prepared chains, shackles and a Blaze
for disbelievers!

The Virtuous in Paradise

** The virtuous will drink from a cup which will be mixed with camphor, * a
freely gushing spring where God's servants will drink. * They [always] keep
their word, and fear a day whose evil tends to spread around. * They offer food
to the needy, the orphan and the captive out of love for Him: * "We are only
feeding you for God's sake. We want no reward from you nor any thanks. ** We
fear a gloomy, dismal day from our Lord."

* God will shield them from that day's evil, and procure them splendor and
happiness. * Their compensation for being patient will be a garden and silk
(clothing], * relaxing on couches there where they will see neither sun nor any
frost. * Close over them will hang its awnings, while its clusters of fruit will
droop low. ** Silver pitchers will be passed around them, and glasses made from
crystal, * crystal [set] with silver, which they will measure out just as they
please, and be allowed to drink from them a cup flavored with ginger, * [from] a
spring there that is called Nectar.

* Immortal youths will stroll around them; whenever you see them, you will
reckon they are scattered pearls. ** Wherever you look, you will see bliss and
vast control. * They will wear clothing made from green brocade and cloth of
gold, and will be dressed up with silver bracelets, while their Lord will offer
them a pure drink: * "This is your reward, for your effort has been
appreciated."

Times of Prayer

(ii) * It is We Who have sent the Quran down to you as a revelation * so be
patient concerning your Lord's decision and do not obey any wicked or ungrateful
person among them. ** Remember your Lord's name both in the early morning and
late afternoon, * and during the night; bow down on your knees before Him and
glorify Him all night long. * Those people love a fleeting show, and leave a
heavy day behind them. * We too have created them and strengthened their
sinews. Whenever We wish, We will replace them with others like them in
exchange.

* This is merely a Reminder; anyone who wishes, mayadopt a way
to [meet] his Lord. ** Anything you (all) wish is only if God so wishes
too; God is Aware, Wise! * He will admit anyone He wishes into His
mercy, while He has prepared painful torment for wrongdoers.

77. [Winds] Send Forth

THIS EARLY chapter was revealed after The
Gossipmonger 104 and (The Letter) Qaf 50(compare it also with
Chapter 51 called Winnowing [Winds] and The Chargers 100).
It consists of 50 Meccan verses, although v. 48 dates from Madina.

This chapter has another refrain running through it: "[It will be] too bad
for rejectors on that day!" and begins with a series of oaths. The whole
expresses a poetic mood which is extremely difficult to capture in translation.
Compare this manner with the one in The Chargers 100.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(i) *By the [winds] sent forth for a purpose * and gales
that rage on and on, * scattering things around; * then dividing them
all up, ** and delivering a Reminder * either as a plea or a warning,
* you (all) are surely promised something inevitable.

* When the stars fade away,* when the sky splits open, ** when
mountains are pulverized* and when messengers' time is set,* till which
day will they be put off?

The Day for Sorting Things Out

* Till the day for Sorting [things] out! * What will make you
realize what the day for Sorting is? ** It will be too bad for
rejectors on that day!

* Did We not wipe out ancient men?* Then We followed them up with later
ones.* Thus We deal with criminals! * It will be too bad for
rejectors on that day!

** Do We not create you (all) from a despised fluid?* We place
it in a firm resting-place* for a known period. * We measure it out and
how favored are Those Who measure it!* It will be too badfor rejectors
on that day!

** Have We not placed the earth as a round up* for the living and the
dead? * We have planted lofty headlands on it and offered you (all)fresh water to drink.* It will be too badfor rejectors on that
day!

* Hurry off to whatever you have been rejecting!** Hurry away to shade
which has three sections, * which is not shady nor any help against
flame.* It throws off sparks like a palace [on fire],* [bright] as a
yellow camel herd.* It will be too badfor rejectors on that day!

** This will be a day when they will notutter [a sound]; * nor will they
be permitted to offer any excuse.* It will be too badfor rejectors
on that day!

* This is a day for Sorting [things] out;We shall bring you (all)
togetherwith the original men. * If you have any scheme, thenscheme against me.** It will be too bad for rejectors on that day!

Those who Do their Duty

(ii) * The heedful will be in shady nooks by springs * and
have whatever fruit they may hanker for: * "Eat and drink at leisure
because of what you have been doing." * Thus We reward those who act
kindly.** It will be too badfor rejectors on that day.

* Eat and enjoy yourselves for a little while, since you are
criminals.** It will be too badfor rejectors on that day.

* When someone told them: "Bow your heads!",* they would not bow their
heads [in prayer].** It will be too badfor rejectors on that
day.

** Yet what report will they believe in later on?

78. The Announcement

THIS CHAPTER containing 40 short, early Meccan
verses was revealed after Staircases Upward 70. It deals with cosmogony
or the subject of how the world was created in section i; still in the first
section we hear the Last Trumpet announcing the final judgment, which continues
in it. It achieves this message with a stirring yet quiet dignity, especially
towards the end. Again the mood is assisted by rhyme or assonance.

Chapter 78 also marks the beginning of Part xxx, the final and most lyric
part of the Quran. This follows the traditional manner of dividing the sacred
text into equal divisions for the purpose of continuous reading or recitation,
especially during Ramadan, the month of Fasting.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

Part Thirty

(i) * What are they questioning one another about? * About an
important announcement * which they are disagreeing over. * However they
soon will know! ** Then indeed they shall know!

* Have We not laid the earth out as a cradle* and [set] the
mountains up as kingpins?* We have created you in pairs* and granted
your sleeping for repose** and granted night as a garment, * and granted
daytime for [you to earn your] living in.

Cosmogony

* We have built seven firmaments above you * and set a blazing lamp there. *
We send down water in torrents wrung from rainclouds ** so We may produce grain
and plants with it, * as well as luxuriant gardens.

The Last Trumpet

* The day for Sorting has been appointed, * the day when the Trumpet
shall be blown so you will come in droves, * and the sky will open up
as if it had gates,** and the mountains will travel along as if they
were a mirage.

Hell

* Hell will lurk in ambush * to receive home the arrogant, * who will linger
there for ages. * They will taste nothing cool in it nor any drink ** except hot
bathwater and slops, * [which are such] a fitting compensation * since they have
never expected [to meet with] any reckoning * and have wittingly rejected Our
signs. * Everything have We calculated in writing: ** "So taste! Yet We shau
only increase torment for you!"

The Heedful in Paradise

(ii) * The heedful will have their scene of triumph * with parks and
vineyards, * as well as buxom maidens their own age * and a brimming The
cup. ** They will hear no idle talk nor any lying [gossip] there, * as a
compensation from your Lord, a calculated gift.

The Mercy-giving

* Lord of Heaven and Earth as well as whatever is in between them, [He is]
the Mercy-giving! They control no means of addressing Him; * on the day when the
Spirit and the angels will stand there in ranks, only someone the Mercy-giving
grants permission to shall speak, and he will speak straight to the point.

* That day will seem too real! Anyone who wishes to, may adopt his recourse
to [reach] the Lord. ** We have warned you (all) how punishment lies
close-at-hand, on a day when any man will see whatever his own hands have sent
on ahead, and the disbeliever will say: "If I were only dust!"

79. [Soul-]Snatchers

THIS CHAPTER of 46 early Meccan verses was revealed
after Prophets 21 and before Bursting Apart 82. Its soaring
message is mystic in content and poetic in form. Moses and Pharaoh are discussed
in section i, while ii concerns creation and the final Hour.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

(i) * By those who snatch [men's souls] awayat their last gasp *
and others who act more nimbly * as well as those floating by, * and
still others racing past, ** to regulate some matter! * Some day a
rumbling will be felt; * another will follow on its heels! * Hearts will
be pounding on that day; * their sight will be downcast.** They will
say: "Will we be restored to our original state* once we are crumbled
bones?"

*They say: 'That would then be a losing proposition! * There would only be a
single rebuke * and then they would never be able to sleep again!

Moses and Pharaoh

** Has Moses' story ever come to you, * when his Lord called to him by the
sacred valley of Tuwa? * "Go off to Pharaoh; he has acted arrogantly. * SAY:
'Would you care to be purified * and for me to guide you to your Lord so you may
[learn to] dread [Him]?"'

** He showed him the greatest sign. * Yet he denied and defied it; *
then he turned away to try his best. * He summoned, and called out, * and said:
"I am your supreme Llord!" ** God seized him as an example in (both) the
Hereafter and from the First [life]. * In that there lies a lesson for anyone
who dreads [retribution].

(ii) * Were you harder to creat, or the sky He has raised? * He has
lifted its canopy up and smoothed it off. * He darkens its night and brings
forth its morning glow; ** and the earth has He spread out besides, * and
produced its water and its pasturage from it. * The mountains has He anchored
* as an enjoyment for you and for your livestock.

* When the greatest calamity comes along, ** on the day when everyman will
remember whatever he has tried to accomplish, * and Hades will loom forth for
anyone to see, * anyone who has acted arrogantly and preferred worldly life *
will have Hades for a dwelling place. ** Anyone who has been afraid to stand
before his Lord and restrained himself from passion, * will have the Garden for
a dwelling place.

The Final Hour

* They will ask you about the Hour: "When will it come to pass? * Why are you
reminding us about it?" * It lies up to your Lord to set it. ** You are merely a
warner for anyone who dreads it; * just as some day they shall see they have
hung around for only an evening, or its morning glow.

80. He Frowned!

THIS CHAPTER containing 42 very early Meccan verses was
revealed Tafter The Star 53 and before Power 97. It refers to an
incident when the Prophet was conferring with some of the leading citizens of
Mecca, and a blind man, Abdullah ibn-Umm- Maktum, interrupted their conversation
to ask him some questions of his own. Muhammad is here cautioned against being
overbearing and is reminded about how he must provide instruction for everybody.

The chapters from this point on have no sections; previously the sections
have been indicated by means of small Roman numerals-i, ii, iii,iv
etc.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful !

* He frowned and turned away* because the blind man came to
him!

* What will make you realize that he may [yet] be purified (of disbelief) *
or even reminded, and the Reminder may benefit him? ** However anyone who seems
indifferent, * you will attend to. * It is not your concern whether he will
purify himself (or not)!

* Yet with someone who comes to you eagerly * and anxiously, ** you act so
distracted! * Indeed, it serves as a Reminder! * Anyone who wishes should
remember how it * [exists] on honored pages * which are held aloft [for
display], * cleansed ** by the hands of noble, virtuous scribes.

Man's Stages

* Let man be damned! What makes him act ungrateful? * From what sort of thing
did He create him? * From a drop of semen has He created him and proportioned
him. ** Then He made the Way easy for him; * next He will let him die and bury
him. * Then [later on] He will raise him up again whenever He may wish.

God's Bounty

* Of course he does not accomplish what He orders him to. * So let man look
at his own food! ** We let water pour down abundantly; * then We split the earth
right open * and cause grain to sprout from it, * and grapes and fodder, * olive
trees, datepalms ** and dense woodlots * and fruit[-trees) and pastures * as an
enjoyment for both you and your livestock.

Doomsday

* When the uproar comes * on a day when man will flee from
his brother, ** his mother and his father, * his mate and his children, * every
last man among them will have enough concem that day to keep him occupied. *
Some faces will be beaming on that day, * laughing, rejoicing; ** while other
faces will be covered with grimeon that day, * soot will overshadow them. *
Those will be the shameless disbelievers.

81. Extinguished! (Wrapping Things Up)

THESE 29 EARLY Meccan verses were revealed after The Flame (OR Palm
Fibre)111 and before Glory to Your Lord in the Highest 87. The
chapter is quite poetic, and rhymed throughout; it concerns the Last Judgment,
and in this aspect resembles Chapter 74 The Man Wearing a Cloak. Its
graphic quality conveys vivid dreams or visions to us, while the prophetic
message moves swiftly.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving,, the Merciful !

* When the sun has been extinguished, * when the stars slip out of
place,* when the mountains travel along,* when ten-month pregnant camels
are neglected,* when wild beasts are herded together,* when the seas
overflow,* when souls are reunited,* when the buried girl is asked*
for what offence she has been killed, * when scriptures are unrolled,*
when the sky is stripped bare,* when Hades is set blazing,* when the
Garden is brought close, * each soul shall knowwhat it has
prepared!

** So I swear by the planets* moving, sweeping along,* and night
as it draws on,* and morn when it breathes again,* it is a statement by
a generous messenger** possessing strength establishedby the One
Enthroned * Who isto be Obeyed and more than that is Trustworthy. * Your
companion is not crazy! * He saw him on the clear horizon;* nor was
he grudging about the Unseen.** Nor is it a statement [made] by some
outcast Satan.

The Universal Message

* So where are you (all) heading for? * It is merely a Reminder to
[everyone in] the Universe. * So anyone of you who wishes may go
straight. * Yet you will only wishwhatever God, Lord of the Universe,
may wish.

82. Bursting Apart

THESE 19 EARLY Meccan verses were revealed after [Soul-]Snatchers 79
and before Splitting Open 84. Like the previous chapter, this one
also deals with Doomsday. The late Professor Nicholson observes on p. 167 (n. 2)
in his Literary History of the Arabs that this passage is written in
"true prophetic style". Zamakhshari tells how it brings God's abundant mercy
whenever it is recited.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful !

Doomsday

* When the sky bursts apart* when planets are strewn
around,* when the seas spill forth,* when graves are overturned,**
[each] soul will know what it sent on ahead and has left behind.

* O man, what has lured you away from your generous Lord * Who created you,
fashioned you and proportioned you * in whatever shape He wished? He has put
your frame together.

* Nevertheless you still reject religion! ** Yet over you (all) there stand *
some noble guardians, * writing it all down; * they know anything you do.

* The virtuous shall be in bliss, * while the loose-living will be in
Hades; ** they shall roast there on the Day for Repayment, * they will
never be led out of it.

* What will make you realize what the Day for Repayment is?* Again, what
will make you realize what the Day for Repayment will be like?

* [It is] a day when no soul will control anything in favor of any
other soul;God [Alone] will hold command on that day!

83. The Cheats (or Cheating)

THESE 36 LATE Meccan verses come after
The Spider 29, and were the last to be revealed in Mecca before the
Hijra or Transfer to the new Islamic capital of Yathrib or Madina in 622
A.D., the Zero year A.H.

The chapter gives us a hint as to our future life and its rewards. Again it
is rhymed throughout. The beginning is a condemnation of fraudulent practices.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful !

* It will be too bad for cheats * who insist on receiving everything
when they have people measure something out for them; * yet whenever they
measure or weigh things for others, they give (them) less than their due. * Do
not such persons suppose they will be raised up again ** [to render accounts] on
a tremendous day, * a day when mankind will stand before the Lord of the
Universe?

* Indeed not, the loose-livers' book will be [kept] in a vault. * What will
make you realize what such a dungeon is like? * An annotated book! ** It will be
too bad for rejectors on that day, * those who deny the Day for Repayment! *
Each vicious transgressor will plainly reject it; * when Our signs are recited
to him, he will say: "[These are] legends by primitive men!" * Of course not;
rather whatever they used to do lies like rust on their hearts. ** Indeed they
will be screened off from their Lord on that day; * next they will roast in
Hades. * Then someone will say: "This is what you have been rejecting."

* Of course the book for the virtuous will rest in the Highest [Heavens].
*What will make you realize what the Highest [Heavens] are? ** An annotated book
* which those closest [to God] will bear witness to. * The virtuous will [dwell]
in Bliss, * on couches watching.

* You will recognize a blissful splendor on their faces. ** They will be
offered a scaled potion to drink * whose seal will be musk. For that let rivals
compete! * It wifl be blended with a beverage * from a spring where those close
[to God] will drink.

* Those who commit crimes used to laugh at those who believe.

** Whenever they pass by them, they nod to one another. * Then when they go
back to their own people, they return exultant. * Whenever they see them, they
say: "Those (men) are far astray!"

* They have not been sent as overseers (to be) set up over them, * so today
those who believe will laugh at disbelievers, ** from couches where they [lie]
watching. * Are not disbelievers being compensated for just what they have been
doing?

84. Splitting Open

THESE 25 EARLY Meccan verses were revealed after
Bursting Apart 82 Tand before The [East] Romans 30. This is one of
the earlier pictures of Doomsday, but the message is not esoteric or hidden. The
language in fact is clear and simple even for an apocalyptic vision.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful !

Doomsday

* When the sky will split open* and listen to its
Lord as it ought to, * suddenly the earth will flatten out, * and throw
up whatever it contains, and fall back empty; ** and (also) listen to
its Lord as it ought to!

* Everyman, you are toiling constantly for your Lord, and you will meet Him!
* Anyone who is given his book in his right hand * will be called to account
with an easy reckoning, * and return joyfully to his family; ** while anyone who
is given his book behind his back * will appeal to be blotted out * and will
roast in the Blaze.

* He used to be happy with his own people; * he supposed he would never
revert [to God]. ** Nevertheless his Lord had stiu been Observing him!

* So I swear by the gloaming, * and night and whatever it
enshrouds,* and the moon when it blossoms full, * you shall ride along
stage by stage.

BOW DOWN HERE (Except in Authority)

** What is wrong with them that they do not believe? * When the Quran is read
to them, why do they not bow down on their knees? * Instead, those who
disbelieve keep on rejecting * while God is quite Aware of how they are holding
back.

* Give them news of painful torment, ** except for those who believe and
perform honorable deeds; they will have payment which will never be
withheld.

85. Constellations

THESE 22 MECCAN verses were revealed after The Sun
91 and before The Figtree 95. The chapter is named from the starry
'mansions9 in the sky called the signs of the zodiac. It is rhymed, generally in
-d.

The chapter concerns the Christians who lived in the Najran highlands to the
south of the Hijaz, north of Yaman and east of the Red Sea before Islam; they
were massacred by Dhu-Nuwas, a Jewish king of Yaman, by being burned alive in
the year 570 A.D., when the Prophet had just been bom.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful !

* By the sky holding constellations* and the
promised day, * and a witness plus his evidence, * the diggers of the
Trench will be slain!

** The fire was full of fuel * as they were crouching over it, * and
themselves were witnesses of what they were doing to believers. * They
persecuted them merely because they believed in God, the Powerful, the
Praiseworthy, * Who holds control over Heaven and Earth. God is a Witness for
everything!

** Those who harass believing men and women, then do not repent, will have
Hell's torment; they will have the torment of burning. * The ones who believe
and perform honorable deeds will have gardens through which rivers flow; that
will be the great Achievement.

* Nevertheless your Lord's onslaught will be severe; * He is the One Who
originates [matters], then repeats them all over again. * He is the Forgiving,
the Affectionate, ** Possessor of the Majestic Throne, * Doer of anything He
wants.

* Has the report on the armies ever come to you, * about Pharaoh and Thamud?
* Rather those who disbelieve [persist] in denial ** while God comes sweeping in
behind them.

* Still it is a majestic Reading* [preserved] on a guarded tablet!

86. The Nightcomer (or The Morning Star)

THIS CHAPTER of 17 early
Meccan verses was revealed after ThisCountryside 90 and before
The Moon 54. The title Tariq is a popular man's name today, as it was
with the conquerer of Spain in 711 A.D.

The translation should evoke some mystery, yet not confuse us; here the name
clearly means the morning star that announces dawn. This shows the dramatic
symbolism found in many Arabic names.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful !

* By the sky and the Nightcomer!* What will make you
realize what the Nightcomer is? * The star shining [before
dawn]!

* Each soul has a guardian [set up] over it, * so let everyman
notice what he has been created from. * He was created from a fluid
ejected * from between his backbone and his ribs. * He is Able to revive
him * on a day when secrets will be tested; ** so he will have no
strength [left] nor any supporter.

* By the sky with its cycle, *
by the earth cracking open, * it is a decisive statement! * It is no
joke.

** They are hatching some plot * while I too am hatching a
plot; * so put up with disbelievers; put up with them as long as you
can!

87. Glory to Your Lordin the Highest

THESE 19 EARLY Meccan verses
form the chapter following Extinguished! (OR Wrapping Things
Up) 81 and preceding Night 92. It forms a long doxology
or hymn in praise of the Deity; reading it over or attending its recital bears a
handsome reward.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful !

* Glorify the name of your Lord, the All-Highest,*
Who has created and fashioned,* Who has proportioned and guided,*
Who brings forth pasturage,** then turns it into weather-beaten stubble.

* We shall make you recite, so do not forget [anything] * except
whatever God may wish; He knows the obvious and what is hidden. * We
will make it easy for you to take the easy way, * so remind [men], if
reminding will benefit [anyone].

** Anyone who feels afraid will be reminded * while the unluckiest, * the one
who will roast in the greatest Fire, shunts it aside; * then he will neither die
in it, nor yet live there.

* Anyone who purifies himself, ** mentions his Lord's name and prays,
will prosper.* Instead you prefer worldly life * whereas the Hereafter
is better and more enduring. * This has been [written] on the earliest
scrolls, * the scriptures of Abraham and Moses.

88. The Pall

THESE 26 EARLY Meccan verses were revealed after
Winnowing [Winds) 51 and before The Cave 18. Here
Muhammad's divine charge or prophetic commission is announced. The chapter gives
a clear picture of the final Judgment and its ultimate reward. It ends somewhat
like the passage "to the hills around do I lift up my longing eyes" found in
Psalm 12 1.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful !

The Last Day

* Has the story of the Pall ever reached you?* Some faces will be
downcast on that day,* laboring, toiling. * They will roast in a
scorching fire; ** offered a boiling spring to drink from,* they will
have no food except some cactus* which will neither fatten (them)nor
satisfy their hunger.

Paradise

* Other faces will be blissful on that day, * pleased with their effort,
** (dwelling) in a lofty garden. * No loose talk will be heard in it. *
There will be a flowing spring there; * by it couches will be raised up,
* glasses set in place, ** cushions lined up * and carpets spread
around.

* Do they not consider how camels have been created? * Nor how the
sky has been lifted up? * Nor how the mountains have been erected? **
Nor even how the earth has been flattened out?

* So remind: you need only to remind!*You are no taskmaster
set up over them,* except for someone who turns away and disbelieves;*
God will punish him with the worst torment.** Toward Us lies their
retreat;* then their reckoning will fall on Us.

89. Daybreak

THESE 30 VERY early Meccan verses were revealed after
Night 92 and before Morning Bright! 93. Its title of 'Daybreak' or
Al-Fajr should be compared with that of Al-Falaq or 'Dawn' 113 (and also
with the last line in Chapter 97). This chapter ends with a short but moving
passage on 'The Tranquil Soul" which finally has found rest.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful !

* By the Daybreak * and ten nights * and the even and the odd,
* and night as it journeys on, ** does that not contain an oath for
someone who is mindful?

* Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with
Ad, * [the people of] Iram, possessing columns * whose like had
never been created in the land? * And Thamud who carved rock out of the
valley; ** and Pharaoh wielding kingpins * who were (all) so arrogant in
the land * and increased corruption there? * Your Lord unleashed the
scourge of torment on them.

* Your Lord is ever on the lookout! ** Yet everyman says, whenever his Lord
tests him by honoring and favoring him: "My Lord has honored me!"; * while
whenever He tests him by rationing His sustenance for him, he says: "My Lord has
disgraced me."

Charity

* Rather you are not generous with the orphan * nor do you promote feeding
the needy, * and greedily use up anything you inherit. ** You love money till
it's brimming over!

Indeed when the earth has been completely flattened out * and your Lord comes
with the angels, row upon row, * and brings up Hell on that day; on that day
everyman will remember, as if remembrance even matters to him! * He will say:
"It's too bad for me! What did I send on ahead during my lifetime?"

** On that day, no one will torment [anyone] with torment like His, * and no
one will hold to any agreement as he will hold to His!

90. This Countryside

THESE 20 EARLYMeccan verses were revealed
after (The Letter) Qaf (OR Q) 50 and before The Nightcomer
86; they are composed in rhymed prose. A clear statement concerning free will or
the choice which is offered Muslims is made here. Reciting it brings us
spiritual blessings, especially on Fridays.

The term Al-Balad contained in the title is difficult to translate,
for its meaning ranges from the idea of 'city' to 'country', and includes that
of district, home town, municipality, community, or land. Various versions use
most of these English terms. It here means the sacred surroundings of Mecca.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* I swear by [this] countryside,* you are a native settled
on this land* as well as any parent and whatever he may
father.

* We have created man under stress.** Does he reckon that no
onecan do anything against him? * He says: "I have used up piles of
money!"*Does he consider that no one sees him?

Free Choice

* Have We not granted him both eyes,* a tongue and two
lips,and guided him along both highroads?Yet he does not tackle the
Obstacle!What will make you realizewhat the Obstacle is?

* [It means] redeeming the captive, * or feeding ** some orphaned
relative on a day of famine * or some needy person in
distress.

Then he will act like someone who believes, recommends patience and
encourages mercifulness.* Those will be the companions on the right-hand
side, * while the ones who disbelieve in Our signs will be companions on
the sinister side: **above them a fire will hem them in.

91. The Sun

THIS CHAPTER Of 15 early Meccan verses was revealed after
Power 97 and before Constellations 85. The chapters are becoming
increasingly lyric at this point, and the poetic mood in this message is carried
along by a continuous and pronounced rhyme in the Arabic.

This chapter deals with Salih or Methusaleh, the messenger who was sent to
the early Arabian nation of Thamud, and the punishment which the latter people
received. It brings out the fact that most persons must strive hard in order to
remain pure.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* By the Sun and its radiancc, * and the moon as it trails after
it, * and daylight which shines resplendent from it, * and night when it
covers things up, ** and the sky and whatever built it, * and the earth
and what has stretched it out, * and any soul and whatever has fashioned it
* and filled it with both its debauchery and its sense of
duty!

* Anyone who purifies himself will prosper** while whoever neglects to do
so will be disappointed.

Thamud's Camel

* Thamud rejected it through their arrogance* when their meanest wretch
was delegated* and God's messenger told them: "[Here is) God's
she-camel; give her its day to drink."

* They rejected him and mistreated her, so their Lord snarled at
thembecause of their offence and levelled things off.** He does not
fear its outcome!

92. Night

THESE 21 EARLY Meccan verses were revealed after Glory to
your Lordin the Highest! 87 and before Daybreak 89. It
is a poetic chapter which is often recited in public ceremonies, because its
recital brings merit.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* By night as it broods,* and daylight when things seem
radiant,* and whatever has createdthe male and the female,* your
effort has been too diffuse.

** For anyone who gives (generously], performs his duty * and acts
charitably in the finest manner * We shall facilitate an easy way for him;
* while anyone who acts miserably, and feels he is self-sufficient
and rejects the finest [things in life]** We shall make it easy for
him(to go] the hard way. * His moneywill not help him out as he stumbles
along.

* Guidance is Our concern: * to Us belongs the Hereafter and the very
First [of life]; * so I have warned you (all) about a raging
fire.

** Only the most wretched will roast in it, * the one who rejects [the
Message] and turns away; * while the most heedful will keep away from
it, * the one who gives his money awayand (thereby) purifies himself

* No one is awarded any favor by Him** except through seeking the
countenanceof his Lord, the All-Highest.[Such a man] shall meet
approval.

93. Morning Bright

THESE 11EARLY Meccan verses were revealed
after Daybreak 89 and before the next chapter which is called
Consolation (OR Relief) 94. The first two paragraphs deal with the sense
of history, while the third and fourth concern some of the Prophet's personal
experience and spiritual striving. Here we glimpse Muhammad's childhood; one
should bear in rnind that the Prophet had once been a poor orphan boy, protected
only by his extended family.

The passage shows the intimate manner in which God comforted him during the
Prophet's deep anxiety. Nicholson has a beautifully rhymed paraphrase of this
chapter on pp. 152-3 of his Literary History of theArabs.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful !

* By the morning bright,* and at night when all is still
* your Lord has not forsaken you nor is He annoyed.

* The Hereafter will be even better for you than the first[life]
was. ** Your Lord will soon give you something which will leave you
satisfied.

* Did He not find you an orphanand sheltered [you]? * He found you
lost and guided [you]. * He found you destitute and made you
rich!

* Thus the orphan must not be exploited;** and the beggar should not be
brushed aside.* Still tell about your Lord's favor.

94. Consolation (or Relief)

THESE 8 EARLY Meccan verses were revealed
after the previous chapter called Morning Bright! 93, and before
Eventide 103. The chapter marks divine confirmation of the Prophet's
mission, and it brings him further comfort. During any depressed mood we can
find much solace by repeating it.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* Did We not relieve your breast for you,* and remove your burden
from you* that pressed down upon your back?* We have even raised up
renown of you!

95. The Figtree

THIS SHORT chapter of 8 very early Meccan verses was
revealed after Constellations 85, and before Quraysh 106. Its
message of moral guidance is home along on homely figures like the two useful
sub-tropical fruits, the fig and the olive.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* By the Figtree and the Olive,* Mount Sinai * and this safe
countryside,* We have created man with the finest stature; ** then
reduced him to the dregs on the bottom, * except for those who believe
and perform honorable deeds-thcir earnings shall never be withheld from
them.

* What would make you reject religion later on? * Is God not the
Wisestof those who judge?

96. The Clot (or Read!)

THESE 19 MECCAN verses form what is
traditionally considered to be one of the very earliest portions of the Quran
that was revealed to Muhammad. They are thrilling words through which God
spoke directly to mankind. It is calculated that this incident occurred about
the year 610 of the Christian era, or over a decade before the Hijra or
eventual Transfer to Madina.

This chapter was revealed before The Pen 68 with which it is connected
in mood and message, and after The Man Wearing a Cloak 74 (which SEE).
These chapters recognize the fact that the art of reading or literacy forms the
basis for civilized life and culture. The Muslims' respect for it helped to
build up the Islamic commonwealth later on which held off the West European
middle ages from much of Africa and Asia.

The latter half of this chapter shows a subtle though quite apparent change
in mood which is directed against the Meccans' opposition to the Prophet's
public prayers.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

Muhammad's First Call

* READ in the name of your Lord Who creates,* creates man from
a clot!*READ, for your Lord is most Generous;* [it
is He] Who teachesby means of the pen,** teaches man what he does not
know.

* However man acts so arrogant, * for he considers he is
self-sufficient.* Yet to your Lord will be the Return!

A Plea for Tolerance

* Have you seen someone who stops ** a worshipper as he prays? * Have you
considered whether he is [looking] for guidance * or ordering heedfulness? Have
you seen whether he has rejected [the message] and turned away?

* Does he not know that God sees [everything]? ** Of course not! Yet if he
does not stop, We shall catch him by his forelock! * Such a lying, sinful
forelock!

BOW DOWN HERE (Except for those in Authority)

* Let him appeal to his henchmen: * We shall appeal to the avenging [angels].
* Of course, do not obey him; bow down on your knees, and come
closer!

97. Power (or Fate)

THESE 5MECCAN verses were revealed after
He Frowned! 80 and Tbefore The Sun 91. This chapter is thus one of
the first to be revealed.

The 'Night of Power' refers to one of the last ten days during the month of
Ramadan, when the Quran was first sent down to Muhammad. This passage might be
compared with 24:v for a similar hymn to God's power or glory, as this is
manifested in His light.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful !

* We have sent it down on the Night of Power!* What will make
yourealize what the Night of Power is like?

* The Night of
Power is better than a thousand months. * Angels and the Spirit
descend on it on every errand with their Lord's permission; ** [it means]
peace till the approach of daybreak.

98. Evidence

THIS CHAPTER of 8 verses was revealed after Divorce
65 and before Banishment 59. Since it dates from the late Meccan or
early Madinese periods, the verses here are somewhat longer. It distinguishes
the true believer from those who merely play with belief and good behavior.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* Those People of the Book who have disbelieved, plus the associators [of
others with God] did not give up until evidence came to them,

* Nor did those who were given the Book disagree (about it) until after
evidence had come to them.

** Yet they have merely been ordered to worship God sincerely - [reserving]
religion for Him [Alone], as righteous seekers [after Truth] and to keep up
prayer and pay the welfare tax. That is the religion for an established
[community].

Hell and Paradise

* Those People of the Book who disbelieve as well as the associators will
remain in Hell fire; those are the worst creatures. * Those who believe and
perform honorable deeds are the best creatures; * their reward from their Lord
will be gardens of Eden through which rivers flow, to live in for ever. God is
pleased with them while they feel pleased with Him. That is [reserved] for
anyone who dreads his Lord.

99. The Earthquake

THESE 8 EARLY Meccan (OR possibly Madinese) verses
were revealed after Women 4, about the same time as The Stunning
[Blow] 101 and Eventide 103 but before Iron 57. One should
also SEE 22:(i) about this earthquake which will announce Doomsday, and 7:(x)
for how this happened with Thamud. The apocalyptic mood is conveyed through the
use of assonance.

* on that day she will report her news ** which your Lord has
inspired her with. * On that day men will appear in droves to be shown
their actions;

* and whoever has done an atoms's weight of good will
see it; while whoever has done an atom's weight of evilwill see it.

100. The Chargers

THIS CHAPTER containing 11 early Meccan verses was
revealed after Eventide 103 and before Plenty 108. Its panting
racehorses (which are mares) make a vivid picture, but they also give a keen
sense of foreboding, somewhat as in Winnowing [Winds] 51 and [Winds]
Sent Forth 77. The final syllables -a(n), -id, and urcarry
the rhymes.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

*By the snorting chargers*striking sparks [with their hooves] * and
racing [home] by morning, * so they leave a trail of dust ** as they
dash into the middle of the troops with it; * everyman is grudging
towards his Lord!

* He himself [acts] as a witness to that; * and is
quite passionatein his love of wealth.

* Does he not realize that
when whatever [lies] in graves is tumbled out,** and whatever is on
[people's] mindsis checked up on, * their Lord will be Informed about
them on that day?

101. The Stunning [Blow](or The Disaster)

THESE 11 EARLY Meccan
verses were revealed along with TheEarthquake 99 and before
Resuffection 75. Its theme is apocalyptic and also composed in "true
prophetic style", to quote Nicholson in his Literary History of the Arabs,
p. 167.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* The stunning [blow]!* What is a disaster?*
What will make you realize something is going to stun
[you]?

Doomsday

* Some day mankind will act like scattered moths ** and the mountains
seem like tufts of yarn!* So anyone whose scales are weighted down *
[will land] in pleasant living; * while whoever's scales are light*
will have a Pit to mother him.

** What will make you realize what
this will be like?Scorching fire!

102. Competition

THESE 8 MECCAN verses were revealed after Plenty
108 and before Aimsgiving 107. They describe the race to get ahead or
for worldly gain which distracts too many people. Its recital brings us
blessings.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* Competition has distracted you until you visit graveyards. *
Nevertheless you soon will know; * once more, you soon shall know!

**
Of course, if you realized with absolute certainty * how you will (all)
see Hades, * then you would see itwith the [very] eye of certainty;
* next you will be questioned concerning bliss on that day.

103. Eventide(or The Epoch)

THESE 3 MECCAN verses were
revealed after Consolation 94, but Tbefore Jonah 10 and The
Chargers 100, and about the same time as The Earthquake 99. It
offers us a consoling prayer which is recited frequently, since it brings home
to us how all things change, and we must learn patiently to face the inevitable.
A final consonant in -r carries the rhyme.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* By eventide, everyman* [feels] at a loss* except for those
who believe,perform honorable deeds,encourage Truth, and recommend
patience.

104. The Gossipmonger

THESE 9 EARLY Meccan verses were revealed after
Resurrection 75 and before [Winds] Sent Forth 77. As its
name implies, the chapter deals with slander of the Prophet, which hurt him
deeply. The punishment predicted is dire, yet natural. and to be expected.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* How awful [will it be]for every backbiting slanderer* who
hoards wealth and keeps on adding to it! * He reckons that his money
will make him immortal.* Nevertheless he will be flung into the
Bonecrusher!

** What will make you realize what the Bonecrusher is?
* [It is] God's kindled fire which leaps up to clutch at one's vitals.
* It will be vaulted over them* in outstretched
columns.

105. The Elephant

THIS CHAPTER of 5 Meccan verses was revealed
after Disbelievers (OR Atheists) 109 and before Dawn 113.
It has a rhyme in -iI to parallel the title word of fi'l or 'elephant'.

The historic reference is to the time when the Abyssinians ruled Yaman in
southern Arabia. In the year 570 of the Christian era, the very year when the
Prophet was born, they invaded the territory of Mecca under their King Abraha.
Fortunately they were repulsed, as this chapter shows, but the campaign became
legendary as the Year of the Elephant.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with the owners of the
Elephant?* Did He not cause their plan to miscarry, * and
sent birds in flocks against them * which threw stamped clay pellets at
them? ** It left them just like chewed-up chaff.

106. Quraysh (or Winter)

THESE 4 MECCAN verses were revealed after
The Figtree 95. An altemate title is Winter, taken from v. 2. This
message shows us that God is the Source of our relative security and commercial
prosperity.

The Quraysh were the Prophet's own clan, who at first opposed his mission and
felt they were the only aristocrats fit to live in Mecca. Later members of this
family became his successors or caliphs in the great cities of Damascus
and Baghdad.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* In dealing with the Quraysh,* for their preparations to
travel in winter and in summer; * let them worship the Lord of
this House* Who feeds them against famine and secures them from
fear.

107. Almsgiving (or Have You Seen...)

THE FIRST three of these 7 verses are early Meccan, while the rest date from
Madina. The chapter was revealed after Competition 102 and before
Disbelievers (OR Atheists) 109. It explains that one should be
ready to offer charity (for which recommendation SEE also 9:(xiii) &
58:(ii).

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* Have you seen someone who rejects religion?* That is the person
who pushes the orphan aside * and does not promote feeding the
needy.

* It will be too bad for the prayerful ** who are
absent-minded as they pray, * who aim to be noticed * while they hold
back contributions.

108. Plenty

THIS is the shortest chapter in the Quran, consisting
of only three verses, like [Divine] Support 110; however in this case the
message is expressed in fewer words. These 3 Meccan verses were revealed after
TheChargers 100 and before Competition 102.

T'he title is the name of a legendary river which flows through Paradise; its
water is reserved exclusively for God-fearing Muslims. It is sweeter than honey,
whiter than milk and smoother than cream. This lyric chapter gives added
consolation to the Prophet during his early persecution.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* We have given you plenty,* so pray to your Lord and
sacrifice* since your opponent is the one who will be lopped off.

109. Disbelievers (or Atheists)

THESE 6 EARLY Meccan verses were
revealed after Almsgiving 107 and before The Elephant 105. They
implicitly teach us to practise tolerance even with atheists, and tell us to
treat non-Muslims with respect yet firm disavowal. This chapter forms the
traditional Islamic answer to any suggestion of compromise.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* SAY: "O disbelievers!* I do not serve what you serve* nor
are you serving what I serve!* I will not worship what you have
worshipped,** neither will you worship what I worship. * You have your
religion while I have my religion.

110. [Divine] Support

THESE 3 VERSES were revealed at Mina on the
eastern outskirts of Mecca during the Farewell Pilgrimage, and they, as well as
v. 281 in The Cow 2 and v. 3 in The Table 5, are dated after the
chapter on Repentance 9. They might thus be considered to date
chronologically from the late Madinese period, even though the geographical
location is the vicinity of Mecca. These verses thus form the very last chapter
to be revealed to the Prophet. It is one of the shortest chapters (along with
Plenty 108, which likewise consists of three verses).

The message assures Muhammad that Islam will ultimately be successful. The
word 'support' exists as both a noun and verb and is thus more effective in
rendering such meanings or situations, so I use it in preference to 'victory'
(which I have retained for the word fath as in Chapter 48).

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* When God's support comes as well as victory, * and you see
mankind entering God's religion in droves; * then hymn your Lord's
praise and beg Him for forgiveness, since He is so Relenting!

111. The Flame (or Palm-Fiber)

THESE 5 VERY early Meccan verses were
revealed shortly after TheOpening 1 and before Extinguished!
(OR Wrapping Things Up) 81. The mood is graphic as Muhammad's fanatic
and "unreconstructed" uncle Abd-al-UzzA is denounced, and thus
nicknamed for ever.

Inthe name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

May Abo-Lahab's both hands waste awayand may he waste away [as
well]!* His wealth and what he's earnedwill never profit him:* he'll
roast in a fire with a flame;* while his wife who carries
kindling around** will have a palm-fiber ropearound her neck.

112. Sincerity (or [God's] Oneness)

THESE 4 MECCAN verses were
revealed after the last chapter in the Book, Mankind 114, and before
The Star 53. The doctrine of God's pure Unity or the Divine Oneness
is stated clearly here; in fact, it is a strong declaration against the
Godhead being looked upon as consisting of more than one person or God's having
any son. The title Al-Ikhlas, one of the divine attributes, is the direct
opposite to shirk or the sin of 'association', and involves freeing
oneself from such impure worship through pure faith.

This chapter is sometimes called the 'Third" of the Quran, since it explains
one of the three essential dogmas in Islam, but its stark simplicity is not
always appreciated by non-Muslims, nor translated clearly. It forms an answer to
a previous rhetorical question implied in the first word, which is "SAY:"

It may be said in cemeteries, (and generally is recited there eleven times),
and in memory of deceased loved ones. Through it awareness of God's Omnipresence
reaches us. The rhyme is in -ad.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* SAY: "God is Unique!* God is the Source [for
everything];* He has not fathered anyone nor was He fathered, * and
thereis nothing comparable to Him!"

113. Dawn

THESE 5 MECCAN verses were revealed after The Elephant
105 and before the next and final chapter on Mankind 114. The theme
of the title is similar to that of Daybreak 89.

This and the next chapter are called Al-Muawwidhatin or 'Two
Entreaties' OR else Al-Mudanniyyatan, 'the Pair that bring one
close [to God]', which are invoked in times of anxiety. This short chapter thus
forms a true prayer which may be used to dispel superstitious doubt since it
shows that something we think of as being evil may actually have another
purpose, especially if we can consider it from some fresh aspect or point of
view.

Inthe name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* SAY: "I take refuge with the Lord of Dawn* from the
mischief which He has created,* and from the evil of duskas it settles
down, * and from the mischiefof women spitting on knots ** and fromthe
evil of some envier when he envies."

114. Mankind

THESE 6 MECCAN verses were revealed after the previous
chapter on Dawn 113 and before its preceding one, Sincerity (OR
[God's] Oneness) 112. This chapter likewise forms a prayer for
times of anxiety, bringing God's presence to us in our trials.

NOTE the haunting rhyme in the Arabic, contrasted with the assonance in -a-
in the previous chapter; the gossiping sound of the recurring "-as" rhyme here
is not easily reproduced in English.

In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful!

* SAY: "I take refuge with the Lord of Mankind,* the King of
Mankind,* the God of Mankind,* from the evil of the stealthy
Whisperer** who whispers in the breasts of Mankind,* whether among
sprites or Mankind.